As You Like It
by Sapphire-Mirror
Summary: Kaoru should be glad... After her divorce she was ready to start a new life, in a new town, in a new house, and quite possibly soon, with a new man. So why did her seemingly perfect world shatter the day she received an invite to her ex husband’s wedding?
1. supposedly

Kaoru smiled genially at the postman the moment she opened her front door. It was 6:00 in the morning and the wind was quite chilly so Kaoru had to tightly pull her jacket around her body. Around this time, she usually wakes up to do her early-morning exercise routine to keep herself physically fit. It was a habit that was cultivated through years of athletic discipline in the high school Kendo club. And it was a habit of hers that she'd probably still have even 20 years from now.

"Mr. Shiro!" she waved at the aged postman as she jogged up to the front gate. Mr. Shiro returned Kaoru's greeting just as warmly, even tipping off his hat and bowing to his waist in a gesture of old-world respect.

Kaoru giggled at Mr. Shiro's old ways. He used to tell her that his own grandfather was the butler of the old royal family of Japan. And it was this same grandfather of his that taught him his manners, thus explaining Mr. Shiro's peculiar, traditional ways.

Whether this was true or not, Kaoru didn't know. Nor did she care. The postman was very nice to her and was the very first person she could call her friend in this place ever since she had come to settle here. She moved in from Tokyo only two years ago and was still in the phase of getting used to her surroundings and to the simple country folks that inhabited the rest of her neighbourhood. So she was very thankful for all the help and guidance that Mr. Shiro provided her.

"Any letters for me?" Kaoru inquired. But she didn't really need to ask because the postman was standing right next to her mail box when she stepped out of the house. And even before she approached him, she already saw Mr. Shiro lift the little sign to indicate that she had mail.

The postman nodded in affirmation. "I'll come back for it later after my exercise," she said.

"Take care then Miss Kamiya."

She smiled at his concern. And with that, she turned on her heels and started to sprint away.

The cherry blossom trees along the road were a sight to behold during this particular season. Around her, the air was covered with petals here and there coming from the trees, giving the illusion of pink snow in the middle of spring. The wind blew past her, ruffling her hair a bit and slightly colouring her cheeks almost to the same shade of the blossoms around her due to the crisp, cold weather. In the horizon, the sun was slowly peeking out from the heavy blankets of the night sky, streaking the heavens with a soft, rosy hue as it got up on its feet, ready to embark on another day full of life and laughter among the soft clouds.

It was still too early so the streets looked a little dead because of the ominous silence and stillness. But already, Kaoru could hear bits and pieces of sounds from people doing their early-morning rituals in their houses. In a little while, fathers would be coming out of their houses, ready to go to work while their wives bid them goodbye. Students too would soon be filling the streets, all of them prepared to take on another eventful day in school. And soon, these very same grey, motionless streets would be filled with signs and sights of life once more.

Kaoru was happy to move in to this relatively quiet but lively town. It had been two years since she moved from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo to settle here. And in all those two years, she never regretted coming here, not even once.

The newspaper boy rode past her. But young Yutaro managed an energetic wave in her direction, to which she returned just as pleasantly.

Kaoru was nearing the intersection where she usually stopped to rest before she resumed her vigorous trot. But as she approached the intersection, she saw her next door neighbour Ms. Tae, owner of the town candy shop, standing idly under a lamp post. Kaoru was surprised to find the woman up and about this early so she halted by her side and greeted her.

"Oh hello Kaoru," Tae greeted back, albeit a little distracted. "I'm just waiting for my nephew. He's supposed to arrive here from Tokyo fifteen minutes ago."

"I didn't know that you have a nephew, much less someone from Tokyo," Kaoru noted with wonder. Ms. Tae, not to be derogative or anything, was one of the town's biggest mouths when it came to gossip. Most of the time if she was not selling candy, then you could be most assured that she'd be hanging out in the local beauty parlour, swapping stories with the other rumour-mongers of this place.

"Didn't I?" she looked surprised. "But I did! I could've sworn I dropped by your house two days ago to tell you about him. I wanted so badly for you to meet him!"

Aside from being a first-class gossip, Ms. Tae also prided herself for being a perfect matchmaker. She'd brag to anyone who'd listen that most of the town's most famous couples were paired by her. Groaning, Kaoru realized why she missed this news. Kaoru must have zoned out when Tae dropped by her house days ago and yakked on and on about her nephew.

It was because apart from trying to avoid the woman's prying questions about her life before she moved into this town, but also due to the simple fact that Kaoru was sorely not interested in men right now.

"Oh," was all Kaoru could muster.

"You'll like him dear," Tae was shooting off that famous mouth of hers again without even pausing to take note whether the person was still listening to her or not. "He's very handsome and you're very much available- not that he isn't available either, mind you. And I'm very sure he'll like you too!"

It was all Kaoru could do not to openly roll her eyes down at the woman. If only Tae knew that Kaoru was going through her own divorce then maybe the woman wouldn't be so persistent about pairing her up to every man she could think of. Honestly, ever since Kaoru settled right next door to Tae and people got the impression that she was single (she never affirmed or denied it), the exasperating lady had done nothing else (aside from gossip) but to convince Kaoru to find herself a nice man to grow old with. The woman's persistence was almost more than Kaoru could bear!

But come to think of it, if Tae ever found out that the real reason why Kaoru left Tokyo was to avoid a man (namely her ex-husband), then it might strengthen her resolve even more to convince Kaoru to take a lover, with the absurd reasoning that it would help her get over her broken heart easier._ Tae was a hopeless romantic you see…_and deeply devoted to her late husband. Bless his soul.

All the more reason for Kaoru never to disclose her marital status to anyone; most especially not to Ms. Tae.

"I'll be heading back to my house Ms. Tae. I think I'm developing a headache."

"But-!"

Kaoru didn't let Tae convince her or manipulate her to stay so she could see this supposed nephew. She quickly jogged back all the way to her house, not minding the lovely sights and scents of the morning unlike earlier. When she arrived to her one-story bungalow, Kaoru –almost- forgot to take the mail along with her. Once she crossed the foyer, she suddenly realized that she was sweating more profusely than normal. And it was cold sweat to boot.

Kaoru removed her jacket and tossed it aside. She knelt forward to remove her jogging shoes, and that too was haphazardly chucked to another part of the house. Kaoru was usually a neat freak so if anyone who knew her well saw her doing this, then they'd know for sure that something was wrong.

When she reached the kitchen, she dropped the stack of letters on top of the Formica counter top and quickly turned her attention to her fridge. She took a carton of apple juice, took out a glass from a drawer and poured herself some. After that, she pulled a seat towards her and sat on top of it, with a heavy groan escaping from her lips. She hastily brought the glass with the apple juice to her lips and drank it down greedily, with even some drops eagerly dripping down her chin. But she easily rectified that matter with a careless swipe of the back of her hand on her smooth jaws.

She was a fright to behold and she knew it._ And all because she was afraid to meet Ms. Tae's nephew…_

Two years… It had been two years since she parted ways with her ex-husband Kenshin Himura. It was a parting full of bitterness, anger and regret. After being married for almost three years to him,_ who would have known that their end would be so ugly?_

Kaoru was too young when she married him; too romantic and delusional about the real world to realize that she was making a mistake when she agreed to elope with him. And Kenshin, he was too vigorous and full of life. He had too much hopes and dreams that he wished to put in action. He was so eager to prove himself to the world, too full of pride and youthful hot blood to recognize the error of his actions when he asked Kaoru to run away with him. And it was a blunder that they paid dearly with, three years later…

Many people called them mad when she, barely 18, and him, just freshly graduated from college at the age of 21, decided to run off, get married and make a life together. But back then, Kaoru and Kenshin called themselves hopelessly, irrevocably, undeniably, and irrationally in love._ And foolishly, they believed themselves right._

Kaoru was the only child and daughter of a businessman and an important Japanese stateswoman. Kenshin was merely the nephew of a penniless ex-convict called Hiko Seijouro. Because of this background, Kenshin had to practically crawl his way to college. But through his intellect, he was able to attain a scholarship to one of the most prestigious and exclusive universities in Tokyo. That same university had a high school branch, and incidentally that was where Kaoru was studying in. The two naïve teenagers met by accident when their friends set them up on a blind date. But ever since then they were inseparable. Kaoru was only 16 years old and Kenshin 19 when they officially became a couple.

Naturally, her high-class parents strongly disapproved of this 'infatuation'. And that was when they arrived at a crossroad and decided to take the path that they should have known would inevitably lead to ruin.

Kaoru dropped out of school and Kenshin's idealistic dreams of owning his own company would have to wait after they eloped. As a result, Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya disowned their daughter so the newly-wed couples were left to fend for themselves.

It was a classic story really. Theirs was not the first teenage marriage that fell into ruin. It was a typical formula: Kenshin, frustrated, and Kaoru, disillusioned. So after years of dissatisfaction and unhappiness, both of them finally came to the painful conclusion that their love was not enough to keep the relationship going. Shortly after that, Kaoru packed her bags and left.

She was thankful that during her three-year marriage with him, they decided to put-off having a child for the time being. And when they separated, it had seemed quite a very good idea indeed after all. Kaoru couldn't imagine putting a child through the harrowing experience of a parents' break-up. That was why it was really a good thing that they decided to wait…

_They never heard of each other ever since…_

Kaoru never tried to go back to her parents because she knew that she would never be accepted again. But now that she was on her own, she didn't know what to do. Without a college education, she could only hope in heaven that she'd get a decent-paying job to support herself.

But she persevered. She knew she couldn't ask for help from her parents or from her former friends, and especially not from her former husband, so she thought of a plan- and the first step was to leave Tokyo and all its unpleasant memories behind. For almost a year, she worked many types of odd jobs and she diligently saved all the salaries and tips she received during that bleak year of serving food and drinks, being a temporary saleslady and many more. So when she finally had enough money, she was able to enroll herself to the local college that next school year. She decided to take a business management course because that would be the most practical road to take. And in one of her classes, she met her future band mates: Sanosuke Sagara and Misao Makimachi. When the three of them found out each other's abilities -Sagara was good with the guitar, Misao on percussions and drums, and Kaoru with her beautiful voice and knowledge with the piano- that's when they decided to form an acoustic band.

At first, they played just for the heck of it. But then Ms. Tae noted their skill one day six months ago and she was the one who insisted that they use their skills to make money. And that was when they decided to try her suggestion and apply for a gig job at 'Java Street', a campus coffee shop that hired bands to play every night.

_And they got lucky!_ Mr. Houji, an over-all disagreeable man, decided to hire them on a regular basis after their huge success on their first night. And ever since then, Kaoru's life was so much easier. She had quit her other odd jobs and focused on her new singing career. She was thankful that the job paid well enough to take care of the house bills and a part of her school finances. And with her job schedule of three gigs a week, she was free enough to still focus on her studies amidst being a working student.

_But not free enough to date…_

She laughed at the idea. Even if she could, she wouldn't. And that was because not only was she not interested in any emotional entanglements right now, but also due to the reason that –technically- she was still married.

It was because when Kaoru left Kenshin, there was no talk of a divorce. She guessed that during that time, both of them were too stressed out to take care of it.

But she had no doubts that they'd take care of it eventually, sooner or later, if in future it would be deemed necessary. But in the meantime, if her ex-husband didn't think it was worth the trouble for the time being, then she most certainly wouldn't bother herself with it.

She had no illusions that they'd eventually get back together. There was just too much bitterness and resentment to make such reconciliation possible.

_They'd probably talk of a divorce settlement if one, or both of them, decided to get married again…_

Kaoru saw no future in the possibility that she'd be tied to a man again. Her marriage experience left her sour with relationships. And besides, right now she was forward-focused on her goals:_ and that was to graduate with honours and start a business of her own_. So there was no time to cultivate any type of romantic relationship in her life._ At least, not now or for the next ten years._

Maybe after she had accomplished everything she dreamed to do in her life, then and only then would she entertain ideas of raising a family. But for now, there was no room, space or time for another individual in her life.

That still didn't explain the sudden anxiety attack that took over her when Ms. Tae insisted that Kaoru should meet the woman's nephew.

Kaoru brought her glass to the sink to wash and rinse it out. She returned it to its place in the cabinet rack and went to dry her hands. She glanced up to the wall on her left where a gold-rimmed, circular clock with a little pendulum arrow was located. It was already quarter to seven and her morning classes started at 8. She had to start her own preparations now if she didn't wish to be tardy.

With that notion suddenly preoccupying her mind, she soon forgot about her earlier thoughts and quickly went to the west wing of the house where the bathroom was located. She was so possessed about the firm determination not to run late that she had completely forgotten to open her mails…

_**xzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxz**_

"So how's that song coming along?"

"You have to ask?" Kaoru groaned at her good friend Misao Makimachi. They were in 'Java Street' that afternoon even though it was not their schedule to play. And it was all thanks to the band that was supposed to play tonight for getting themselves fired by an angry Mr. Houji when they were caught by the town's patrolling policemen fooling around with marijuana last night, just outside the café. And since it had been so sudden, Kaoru's band had to fill in for a while until a replacement could be found.

Right now, they were currently setting up for their gig since they're due onstage in fifteen minutes.

"Of course I have to ask," her pig-tailed friend pouted. "That song you're writing will be the one that will launch us to music fame you know!"

"Then music fame will have to wait because I'm still not finished with it."

"You just lack inspiration!"

"Oh please-"

_Misao was almost as bad as Ms. Tae, almost always suggesting that Kaoru needed a love life to get her creative juices flowing._

Kaoru was spared from making a sarcastic remark about that when Sanosuke entered the backstage. He was grinning ear to ear as he approached the girls. "Kaoru I have a favour to ask," he began.

Misao and Kaoru knew what he was going to ask before he could even finish. And their reaction was the same when they made a resounding, "No!"

"Oh come on you guys," Sano was practically begging for them to understand. "Megumi is only going to be in town for a few days and I finally got her to come to one of our gigs so…"

The two ladies looked at each other, both with beaten expressions. Sanosuke was such a nice guy and they both loved him very dearly. So his friends couldn't understand why someone like him could ever fall in love with someone as nasty and as backbiting Megumi Takani.

"Guys please!"

Kaoru sighed and fixed her beret on top of her head. She looked at Misao and shrugged in defeat._ After all, what else could they do for a friend?_

_**xzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxz**_

"Before we'd start our next song, my good friend Sanosuke would like to greet his most beloved Ms. Megumi Takani who just came back to town after her trip to Europe. He wanted her to know that he wished he had the ability to stop time so that their moment together would last forever… And so this next song is for her, with all his love."

Kaoru tried her best not to barf at those words. She turned her head slightly to the side and nodded to her friends. Sanosuke grinned at her with gratitude as they switched places, with Kaoru now in guitars and Sano with the mike. She started to strum and Sanosuke began to sing…

"**_It took one look_**

_**then forever lay out in front of me**_

_**One smile, then I died**_

_**Only to be revived by you…**_

_**There I was, **_

_**thought I had everything figured out**_

_**Goes to show just how much I know,**_

**_about the way life plays out..._**

**_I take one step away_**

_**and I find myself coming back…to you**_

_**My one and only-"**_

"-one and only…you," Kaoru opened her eyes while she played as her friend sang that particular line, and just in time to see someone enter the café entrance.

_She almost choked when she saw who it was that just came in._

That individual was looking at her now, and his expression mirrored the same disbelief and incredulity she knew was written all over her own face when the man recognized that it was her who was playing onstage.

She felt weak, but she held onto her consciousness and would not let herself suffer the indignity of fainting in front of an audience-_ much less in front of him!_ She didn't stop playing though, because she didn't want other people to see how much she was shaken up when she saw _that_ man enter the bar. But deep down inside, all she wanted to do was bolt out from her chair and escape that room.

_What was Kenshin Himura doing here?_

"_**Now I know,**_

_**that I know not a thing at all**_

_**Except the fact that I am yours,**_

_**and you are mine…**_

_**If you told me that this wouldn't be easy**_

_**And no…I'm not one to complain"**_

Their eyes remained locked with each other until the very end of the song.

_**xzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxz**_

After only three songs, Kaoru motioned for a break. But when they went backstage, she quickly pleaded to a nauseating headache to her two friends and begged for them to excuse her to Mr. Houji and for Sano to take her place as the vocals for the meantime. Her friends must have sensed her extreme unease, and so agreed. She thanked them profusely and was soon out of the building before the two could even bat an eyelash.

Kaoru exited through the backdoor and purposely avoided the main street just in case Kenshin was there waiting for her. She went through a dark back alley and quickly hailed a taxi as soon as she saw one. In the car, she was fidgeting so much that the driver, stranger as he was, voiced his worry and even suggested stopping by a hospital for her sake. But Kaoru only smiled tightly at the man's well-meaning concern and assured him that she'd be alright.

As soon as the vehicle stopped in front of her house, she pulled out some bills from her pocket, not even bothering to count it, and hastily handed it to the driver. She got out of the taxi and hurriedly crossed her lawn towards the front door. She fumbled for her key and cursed agitatedly beneath her breath when she missed the keyhole one too many times because of her shaking fingers. But after a while, she let out a low, jubilant cry when she was finally able to insert the key properly. Kaoru opened the door, got inside, and swiftly closed it behind her.

It was only once she was in the safety of her home did she realize that her heart was beating so fast that she thought it'd burst. She placed a palm against her chest and willed her heart to steady its pace.

When she was finally able to normalize her breathing did she only start to wonder why she reacted so strongly after she saw her ex-husband. To a sane person, it just didn't make sense.

It had been two years and seven months since she last saw him. And yet she was afraid of him… Not exactly what she expected from herself on their first meeting after two years._ Too, it's not like Kenshin was a bad man_. Even back then during the bleak years of their marriage, when their fights and arguments would get so heated it could practically turn sand into glass, not once did he raise a hand to hurt her._ So WHY was she so afraid after seeing him?_

Kaoru held her forehead as she made her way to the kitchen to get herself a glass of water. As she did so, she noticed her unopened mails on top of the counter and, in a split second, decided to distract herself from her current dilemma by reading them. She gingerly picked up the stack and pored over the bunch. Most of them were bills and junk mail. But one letter stood out among the rest because of its intricate, blue, embossed envelope. Taking a seat, she decided to open that first since it looked so interesting.

There were two papers inside the envelope. One was a plain bond paper. The other was a stationary that seemed like one of those things usually used for custom-made invitations in wedding shops. Kaoru sniffed the paper to see if it was scented. It wasn't, and she was a mite disappointed because she had a particular liking to scented stationeries. Finally, after some hesitancy, she finally unfolded the fancy one and the first words she saw written inside it knocked out the air from her lungs…

'**You are cordially invited to the Himura-Yukishiro nuptials to be held on...'**

_**xzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxz**_

Kaoru was still in shock after reading and rereading the first and second letter. The second letter turned out to be Kenshin's personal summons for her to come back to Tokyo so that they could talk about their divorce. And the last part of that said letter showed the urgency of the matter when he wrote the words 'A.S.A.P.' in all caps and bold letters with double underlines._ A little too dramatic if you asked her, but it definitely got her attention._

Never mind the fact that she was still wondering how the hell did he found out her new address. She was still pondering over the irony of the things in her life. Wasn't it just this morning that she told herself that she and Kenshin would probably iron things out about their divorce when one of them was about to get married? But when she thought of that, she didn't think that it would be _this_ soon…!

It had only been roughly two years since their separation._ How easily it was for him to replace her in his life, that jerk!_

She caught herself when she realized she was angry._ Why should she be? _Kaoru castigated herself for these unexpected emotions._ She and Himura agreed that they'd be free to see other people after they parted ways_. And just this morning she assured herself that she would never come back to Kenshin._ SO why was she feeling so frustrated?_

She washappy with the life she established in this town. She was in college and was doing very well with her studies to boot. She had a stable job as a singer in 'Java Street' and she loved her work immensely. The townspeople were all very nice to her and she loved the peace in her neighbourhood. Her life was on track and everything was going perfectly!

_So why oh why did it take only one stupid letter to shatter all that contentment?_

She was still contemplating about the justification of her own feelings when she heard a knock on the front door…

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**_A/N: Waaaah! Another new story? But I couldn't resist, forgive me. Anyway, I hope you guys would give this story of mine a shot. And don't worry about my other stories because I haven't forgotten them and I most certainly would start updating those next. So in the meantime, ciao, ciao!_**

**_P.S. Oh I tried another style in writing in this story. Those who've read my other works knew that I usually write in the first-person perspective. But in this story, it was third-person perspective all the way. So could you guys give me some comments and suggestions about this? Feel free to criticize my writing if you think I'm better-off with first person._**

**_P.S.S. I don't know if they have a divorce law in Japan. If not, then just for the sake of the story let's pretend that they do, if that's alright with you readers. _(;P)**

**_P.S.S.S. The feature song here was titled "Your Song" by one of my favourite Filipino bands called 'Parokya ni Edgar' (or in English: "Edgar's Parish"). _(:D)**


	2. never forget

_**Six years ago...**_

"You're late!"

Kenshin laughed as he sat down beside Kaoru on her right side under the shade of the only apple tree in campus. Kaoru's cheeks were puffed up in indignation and she looked positively adorable with that expression. "I'm sorry, Psyche my love," he tried to plant a kiss on her cheek, even calling her by the pet name they both agreed upon when they became an official item. "Prof. Hanya kept your dear Cupid for quite a while about the upcoming leadership seminar to be held in Hokkaido. I swear I tried to tell him that I'm in a hurry, but he will not hear any of it."

But Kaoru would not be easily pacified for she turned her face to the extreme left so Kenshin ended up kissing her hair instead. He had no idea at that moment that she wasn't just plain irritated_- she was way past boiling point_! Kenshin thought that she was only teasing him though so he paid no heed to the hints. But when his third attempt to hold her close to him failed, he was finally out of patience himself and had no other choice but to take the bull by its horns.

"Psyche…? Hon? What's wrong?"

She sniffed haughtily, her back still to him, "You have the nerve to ask."

"What?" he laid out his hands in front of him in defeat. "Did I forget our anniversary again or something? But I swear it's not today because I made a point of remembering it this time. Especially since last year when I made the fool's mistake of forgetting, you avoided me like the black plague for weeks!"

Her back remained stiff, unmoving. Finally after a while, just when Kenshin had to do detective work -_again_- just to determine what his beloved girlfriend was pouting about now, she told him in a no-nonsense voice, "You were with a beautiful, chestnut-haired woman last night in the theatre…"

"What?" his brows furrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about!"

She whirled around to face him and jabbed his chest with her index finger, "Don't you dare trick me Kenshin Himura. The person who told me this information would never lie to me!"

"I thought you trust me," his frown was evident. "I can't believe you'd trust other people more than me."

"Answer the question!"

Kenshin was staring at the love of his life incredulously now. Her deep, cobalt eyes were flared with anger and her soft lips formed a hard, tight scowl. Her shoulder-length hair was parted to the left side of her nape while her ample chest was heaving up and down with unrestrained anger._ How does she do it? _He wondered in awed silence._ How can she explode in front of him and still remain to be the beautiful, mischievous goddess he always loved and cared for?_

And then another realization dawned on him. And though late, it gave him a sudden burst of manly satisfaction._ She was jealous!_ Bloody hell, she was losing her natural, upper-class composure all because she was angry and bitter at the thought that Kenshin might have gone out with another woman.

He knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't help the feeling…_he was undeniably pleased by her reaction_. Her jealousy not only fed his masculine pride, but it also affirmed that she loved him so much that she'd shed her natural sweet self when her love was threatened to be taken by someone else.

"Tell me the truth Mr. Himura!"_ a habit of hers_, he noted,_ that when she was angry with anyone, she'd revert to calling that person by his or her last name._

Kenshin couldn't help but tease her more even though he knew he was practically signing his death warrant by courting her temper. Leaning back on the tree bark, he replied her query with a wolfish grin, "You want the truth my Psyche love? Okay, I'll give you the truth. Yes I was with another woman last night in the theatre. In fact, I'd even be pleased to brag to you that she was a devastatingly beautiful lady. I was the envy of the guys last night."

_He need not say more_. Instantly, Kaoru was up on her feet, tears threatening to spill from those lovely eyes as she turned to run away from him and from the words he just told her. But before she could even take one step away from him, he was already beside her, hugging her from behind amidst her struggles.

"Let go, let go! H-h-how could you?" she gasped. "I can't believe you told me!"

He couldn't help but laugh, "You said for me to tell you the truth."

"You should have lied!" She was crying now and he instantly felt guilty for teasing her. Her eyes looked like two great wounds now, bleeding tears of hurt and anguish. "I would have believed you. You could have spared me this pain."

He turned her around to face him and before she could protest, he had trapped her face between his palms and raised her head so her lips could meet his. It was a conciliatory kiss, one that was meant to assure her and comfort her after he brought her all this thoughtless suffering. When they finally pulled away after a few minutes, her tears have finally receded but she still looked terribly hurt and betrayed.

"I had to tell you the truth," Kenshin told her softly. "And it's because I want our relationship to be based on the honesty of each party."

"Even though it'd hurt?" she asked him rather childishly. He nodded.

"Psyche love," he cooed softly, brushing the last of her tears away with his finger. "I was with a very beautiful woman last night, that's true. But whoever told you this piece of information should have confronted me first instead of maliciously telling you about this. I could have spared you all this needless worry, because the woman I was with was my cousin Sayo."

Kaoru's eyes widened with shock. "You mean…" she started.

He kissed her again before she could finish. And for them, the matter was settled. She felt guiltier than Kenshin because she had thoughtlessly suspected him of something so out of character for him._ No, not her Kenshin, not her dear Cupid_. She should have known she could trust him._ She really should have known…_

Kaoru pulled away, a shy grin etched on her lips, "I'm sorry I doubted you."

"I'm sorry for teasing you and not telling you much sooner."

They made the peace sign and Kenshin was about to pull her into a deep, satisfying kiss once more if only Kaoru didn't extricate herself from his embrace with a laugh. He looked disgruntled and she laughed again, finally feeling like her old self once more. "I want to show you something," she explained her sudden withdrawal with a giggle.

"Can't it wait?" he growled impatiently. He tried to pin her against the tree so she wouldn't escape him again, but that didn't work. She was much too excited to be stopped by his kisses…_for now_.

With an exasperated groan, Kenshin was forced to sit down and wait for what he really wanted while Kaoru rummaged through her backpack for that thing she mentioned. After a while, Kaoru finally raised her head from the bag as she held something triumphantly in her hand. She showed the item to Kenshin with an animated expression. "What do you think?" she asked him eagerly.

"What is it?" Kenshin poked the colourful item that looked like a cross between a horribly-disfigured pretzel and a ringworm at the same time.

"A bracelet," she told him happily.

It took a while before Kenshin was able to accept that the 'bracelet' was for him and was meant for him to wear at all times, starting today. Kaoru laughed at his unease. She knew that the crude invention created from bread dough and painted with acrylic colours was an eyesore, but still she insisted that he wear it. She made it in art class and she persisted that if Kenshin really loved her, then he would never remove it from his wrist for as long he had feelings for her. He groaned out loud and said that this would mean that he had to wear the ugly thing FOREVER. But even though he wore it grudgingly for the next few years that they've been together, he was never in a place without it. Because even if the horrid thing looked like something a cat dragged in, it still symbolized the special feelings they had for each other.

Kenshin was a lover of music too, just like her. So days later after she had given her bracelet gift, he had something of his own to offer to her.

"What do you think?"

They were in the empty football field of Kenshin's university. The sun had already set hours ago and they were alone in the bleachers. Kenshin had asked her this question as soon as he handed her the piece of paper he got out from his bag.

Kaoru scanned the lines before she looked up from the paper. "It looks great, dear Cupid! You really have talent in creating music."

Kenshin had just handed her his latest composition. He had been so consumed for the last few days in fine-tuning it. And now that he did, he wanted oh so much to see how Kaoru would like it.

"You really think it's that great?" he was blushing with her praises. "I haven't finished the whole song yet…but do you really think it has promise?"

"Absolutely! Are you really sure you'd rather run a business than be a composer?"

He shrugged and she knew the answer even if it was left unvoiced. Kenshin had spent such a big part of his life in poverty that luxuries like music was not something he included in his big plans for the future. But he did enjoy manipulating and creating melodies… _But it just wasn't his priority_.

He had to be practical. In that respect, she understood.

"Will you sing it for me?" Kenshin asked while his hand interlocked with the woman he loved so deeply. "I mean, I know the lyrics are not yet completed. But I still want to hear how the song will sound coming from you."

Kaoru smiled at him tenderly and kissed him quickly. Then she turned to the music sheet in her hand and began to sing the few lines easily since she knew how to read notes…

"_**Don't stray…**_

_**Don't ever go away**_

_**I should be much too smart for this,**_

_**you know it gets the better of me"**_

"_**Sometimes,**_

_**when you and I collide**_

_**I fall into an ocean of you**_

_**Pull me out in time…"**_

"_**Don't let me drown…**_

_**Let me down,**_

_**I say it's all because of you"**_

After Kaoru finished the song, Kenshin pulled her to his body and started to kiss her face lovingly. "I want you to keep it. Never let it out of your sight. For as long as we love each other, I want you to have it. Just as I'll always have this bracelet you created for me for as long as our love would last."

She grinned up at him, "Which means forever, right?"

He nuzzled her nose and traced her jawline with his fingertips, "No…longer than that.

"I'll keep it if you promise to finish it," Kaoru teased.

"I will," he promised with an affectionate smile.

_But he never did…_

_**xzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxz**_

Kaoru answered the front door after the fourth knock. And she was instantly greeted by the sight of two rather large paper bags all seemed ready to burst in the hands of their carrier.

"Oh thank God you're home," Hounjo Kamatari, Kaoru's gay housemate, rushed inside in a flurry of words and actions.He quickly dropped the baggage on top of the counter with a sigh. "For a moment there I thought I had to get my key just to open the damn door. Can you imagine what could have happened if I tried to do that while balancing these two behemoths?"

Kamatari was in Kaoru's business management course. They first met in Kaoru's first job as cashier in a cosmetic store where Kamatari regularly buys his beauty products.He chatted up with Kaoru and they instantly liked each other's personalities. Later on when they found out that they were studying in the same university and were majoring in the same course, well the friendship really started to hit if off right then.

After some time, Kamatari found out that Kaoru was searching for a cheap, but reasonably clean and comfortable place to stay, so Kaoru's gay friend quickly offered her grandparent's house where she was currently residing. Kaoru couldn't pass up the cheap rent and good accommodations offered to her by Kamatari's pad so she agreed to stay. And they had been living together ever since.

_That was almost two years ago. _No one frowned upon their living arrangements because everyone in the neighbourhood knew that Kamatari was as homosexual as they usually come._ If not more._

"You picked up the groceries I see," Kaoru commented as she helped her friend load them in the cupboards and in the refrigerator. "But you know it's my turn this week to do this."

"Ah well," Kamatari waved a dismissive hand at her as he dropped his body on the couch in exhaustion. "You can pay me back by fixing me up some dinner. I'm starved and I could hardly move a muscle to lift a spatula, much less cook something for myself."

Kaoru spared her friend a pitying look as she set to work in the kitchen. Kamatari was working as a part-time sales agent for cars…_while pretending to be a poker-straight guy at the same time_. And since he had a woman's heart, he knew exactly how to please the ladies so he had absolutely no problems with sales. His pay was big because he was like a magnet when it came to female customers-_ at least, those who didn't know his real gender preference, that is_. Sometimes, he was so good pretending to be a completely heterosexual man that even Kaoru couldn't help but be somehow…attracted…to her rather unpredictable friend.

Like right now, Kamatari was sprawled over the sofa wearing a light-blue polo shirt, blue stripped tie and black slacks. His collar-length black hair was in hopeless disarray, but Kaoru had no doubt that women find this absolutely sexy and a delicious part of Kamatari's charisma. His shirt was slightly unbuttoned from the top, revealing a hint of the lean chest that Kamatari would jokingly tell Kaoru drove women mad with desire. And Kaoru had no problems believing this.

What was ironic was Kamatari knew what kind of effect he had on women who didn't know his sexual orientation. He himself commented, rather narcissistically, that if he were another person, gay or a real woman, he too would find himself terribly attractive.

Kaoru made a large turkey sandwich for her friend and brought it up to him. She nudged Kamatari's head with her knee as she called out, "Your dinner is ready lazy butt."

"Thank you fair lady," he sat up quickly and took the plate. Without much finesse, he gobbled down the food in three or four bites._ He must really be hungry then_, Kaoru noted. "I have a good mind to reward you with a kiss for your good deed," Kamatari teased, putting in effect the powerful charm he exuded with his female customers.

Kaoru learned long ago not to blush anymore with Kamatari's thoughtless flirting. Her friend was just fooling around and would never seduce her on purpose. In fact, if only he knew how difficult it was for Kaoru to sometimes discern him as gay, then he would've stopped his mock-amorous teasing long ago. "No thank you," she replied with a smile. "Heaven and earth might collide if you do such a thing."

"Point taken," Kamatari laughed while Kaoru handed him a beer can from the fridge. He chugged it down and was finished with it faster than a blink of an eye. "But really Kaoru, my suggestion was more a favour for you than as an expression of gratitude."

"How so kind sir?"

"I know that pretty little mouth of yours hasn't done much action for quite some time now. You might get out of shape, if you know what I mean," he winked suggestively. Kaoru had to cover her mouth to keep herself from laughing out loud and lose her feminine poise in the process.

"My lips are very much pre-occupied with singing right now, thank you very much."

"Ah, but that thing on your face is not the only inactive lips that I'm talking about," Kamatari grinned naughtily.

This time, Kaoru couldn't help but visibly blush at the sexual insinuation and irritation quickly replaced her good humour. "I don't think it concerns you whatever activity, or lack of it, that I do with any part of my body. Clear?" was Kaoru's stiff answer.

"Crystal," was Kamatari's droll reply. "But you're my friend and I am concerned…"

_Great! Another 'caring' friend who wanted to play matchmaker_. "I thank you for the concern. But I must tell you that there are certain boundaries that must not be crossed. Even when it is one crossed out of concern."

Kamatari slammed the crushed beer can on top of the arm rest. "Dammit Kaoru! Why are you always so stiff and starchy when we talk about sex?"

"I do not-" she started, very aghast with her friend's outburst. "We had this conversation before Kamatari! I am just not ready for a relationship!"

"And I always wonder why," was his sarcastic rejoinder.

Her hands were on her head, warding off a headache that was quickly building up now, as she demanded, "Why are we even talking about this? Tell me, since when did you become meddlesome busybody Mr. Hounjo!"

"How about,_ 'ever since I found out that you have a husband all along'_?"

Kaoru paled, "How did you-?"

And to answer her, Kamatari marched towards the front door and slammed it open. He gestured to someone outside the house to come inside, and instantly she had a deep sinking feeling about the whole thing. Kaoru had this terrible urge to get up and leave, but her feet remained nailed to the floor in cold anticipation.

She knew she made a mistake in not grabbing the chance to escape when a mysterious figure loomed next to Kamatari in the doorway. This person scanned the house up and down before his attention returned to Kamatari. Her friend only tilted her head for him to come in, and the figure stepped inside to the light of the foyer. This time, there was no more mystery in his face when the light hit a familiar crop of red hair, lavender eyes, slightly-gaunt cheeks, angular chin and cross-shaped scar.

The newcomer walked over towards the den and stopped right in front of the couch where Kaoru was sitting. She tried to speak, but her throat became so dry that she was unable to say anything, not even a squeak to express how helpless and trapped she felt right at that moment.

The figure looked down at his ex-wife without a smile. There was only a grim look etched on his face as he greeted her, "It's been a while…_Mrs. Himura_."

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**_A/N: Another chapter finished! And good one too, just before I hit the province to spend the semestral vacation with my extended family. So the song here is "Sway" by Bic Runga and I totally ADORE that song. Hope you don't mind pretending (in this story) that Kenshin was the one who composed it. _(;P)_ I have to go now because I only have a few minutes left before I board our car and hit the highway, so no time to answer reviewer queries right now. But I promise I will answer my reviewers next chapter. So I guess its bye for now, ciao, ciao!_**

_**P.S. Pairing? KnK forever of course!**_


	3. goodbye again

_She was mad!_

Those were Kaoru's first panicked thoughts the moment she realized what she had just done. She turned her head to the rear-view glass of Kenshin's black Corvette and watched with despair as her home, the one-story bungalow she shared with Kamatari for almost a year now, slowly recede in size as the car ploughed ahead through the familiar, silent streets of her neighbourhood until it became nothing more but a mere dot in the distance. She ran her fingers agitatedly through her hair when she was finally able to fully grasp her situation.

_Why the hell did she agree to go with her ex-husband?_

Beside her, Kenshin was quietly driving the car; his expressionless face was marred only by his grim concentration as he manoeuvred his way through the darkness of the neighbourhood. Some of his bangs fell softly on his forehead and left cheek, but his eyes remained unobstructed so he was able to drive carefully with ease. He eased up the collar of his black, turtle-neck sweater and turned the car heater up a notch.

"Cold?" Kaoru couldn't help but ask._ She wasn't_. She was too warm with nervous anxiety.

Kenshin shrugged nonchalantly and said nothing. He turned on the car radio but when he couldn't find a radio station that suited him, he grudgingly turned it off instead.

_Well he was certainly a bundle of chatter_, she noted. He hasn't spoken more to her after he invited her to come with him for a ride._ Under normal circumstances_, she would have refused. But Kamatari's presence, which was right next to them, rejected the idea that she demand Kenshin to tell her right there and then whatever he had in mind._ Kaoru was not ready for anyone else to know about her past yet_. So albeit a little uncertain, she accepted his invitation and was soon out of the house and taking a seat on the passenger side of his brand-new and expensive-looking Corvette.

"So…about the divorce," Kaoru started tentatively to clear the air of unease that surrounded them. She sensed that Kenshin wasn't going to just come out in the open about the matter at hand, so she had decided to drag the bull by the horns herself, if only to get this meeting over and done with. "I just received your invitation…"

"It was not my idea to invite you," he answered plainly. "But Tomoe insisted."

_Harsh_. So he didn't want her to be a part of a new chapter of his life after all. And here she thought that the reason why he was inviting her to his upcoming wedding was because he was extending the hand of friendship. Let bygones be bygones, as other people would call it._ But instead…_

"So why did you invite me?" she made sure the slight hurt she felt didn't seep in her voice. "And why did you follow me to my house if you weren't interested to see me again?"

"Did I say that?" he shook his mane of fiery-red hair. "All I said was that I didn't want you at my wedding."

"-Which clearly implied that you don't want to suffer my presence, I understand that."

"You're putting words in my mouth. The only thing that my statement inferred to was that I was sensitive enough not to put you in a very uncomfortable position."

"My, how sweet of you. No wonder you're marrying again. You've always been the ladies' man, Kenshin.

Kaoru knew that they were at it again._ Arguing_. It's what they had always been doing in all the time that they had been married, and up until the day she walked out of the door and out of his life forever._ And now two years after, their customary treatment with each other still hasn't changed._

"You're still the same Kaoru," Kenshin sighed wearily. He stopped at the next red light and turned to look at her. "Still presumptuous, still fast to doubt. And here I was, hoping that after all these years we could be friends again."

"We were never friends Mr. Himura," she reminded him disdainfully.

He chuckled amidst the barb. "Yes indeed you're right. We fell in love with each other too instantaneously to think about that phase in courtship, didn't we?"

Kaoru chose not to answer that. Instead, she turned her attention to the passing scenery outside and asked him, "How did you find out my address?"

"My lawyer took care of finding the information for me."

"Still resourceful, I see."

"And you're still sarcastic, much to my dismay."

After a while, Kaoru sighed wearily and decided to drop the high-handed façade because it was too tiring to keep up. She turned to him with an exhausted expression on her lovely face and asked him, "What is it that we need to talk about Kenshin? We didn't need to see each other to talk about the divorce settlement, if that's the only reason why you came. We could have had this all arranged through our lawyers. And believe me I wouldn't have asked for anything, monetary support or whatever. SO why did you have to come and disturb my quiet life?"

Kenshin didn't answer immediately. Instead, he searched for a dark and quiet place where he could park first. And when he achieved that, he turned off the engine before he finally faced her. His deep, lavender eyes roamed around her face as they silently stared at each other for a couple of minutes. Both of them unwilling to break the protection of each other's silence as they mutely weighed down their innermost thoughts and feelings.

Kaoru didn't want to look at him. Didn't meet his intense eyes, nor did she let her sight settle on those thin, solemn mouth of his. Because in doing so it would just bring too much familiar emotions that she had kept under lock and key for so many years now._ Both pleasant and otherwise._

It was roughly two years ago since Kaoru last saw her husband. Two years, all spent in relative quiet and peace. Two years of nothing but perseverance and hard work in order to achieve her goals. There were different faces during those years: some she forgot as soon as she saw them walk out of her life, and some she remembered when she chanced upon meeting that person again by accident in the mall, the university, the subway station or any other mundane setting for such a mundane event. And in all those years, nothing had disturbed her calm as much as the appearance of_ this _certain ghost from her past- a ghost that she had thought she was rid off forever the moment she walked out of that marriage…

_She didn't love him anymore_, she was sure of that. And so was he for that matter, for he was about to get married again after all._ But if that was the case, then why was their first meeting after so many years bringing them so much confusion and troubled emotions?_

It was because of the way they parted two years ago, that's why…

"_I should never have married you!"_

Kaoru squeezed her eyes shut at the memory of those painful words. They were hers. And back then, it held so much sincerity that it was hard to imagine that she fell in love with him in the first place. It was funny how the harsh reality could easily dismiss and dissipate something as fanciful as love._ Yes, so very easily…_

"_Marrying you was the biggest and most foolish mistake I have ever done in my life!"_

Those were his this time. And like her, he meant every word of it at the time of the argument. She couldn't help but wonder then if, like her, he regretted those hateful words instantly after they had been spoken…

_Probably not_, she answered her own question when she saw how grim his expression remained even after a few minutes of pensive silence between them inside that car._ But then again_, she mused,_ he did say that he was hoping that they could be friends_. Was he sincere?_ Did she dare hope that he WAS sincere?_

"Why did you come Mr. Himura?" she repeated her question.

"Perhaps because…" he hesitated for a split-second, cleared his throat and continued softly, "I wanted to see you again…Mrs. Himura."

She looked away, unnerved by that declaration._ She wasn't expecting that_. "I hope you weren't expecting the same from me," she pointed out rudely. He shook his head and leaned back on his seat, "I wouldn't dare, Mrs. Himura…"

"My name is Kaoru Kamiya," she told him frostily. "And even though we are not legally separated yet, I suggest you start calling me by my maiden name Mr. Himura."

"The key word here being 'yet', my dear ex-wife. Meaning, until we have properly settled our divorce, then it is my name you will possess and it is by my name I will call you."

Kaoru gritted her teeth angrily after his litany._ Nothing changed_. He was still the arrogant, self-imposing jerk she left for good two years ago. How so like him to continue calling her by something that he knew only too well she despised greatly, if only to irritate her further.

"Wouldn't your fiancée take offence if she ever heard you calling me by the title that would soon be hers in just a few weeks time?"

"She would never be called my ex-wife, if that's what you mean."

Kaoru didn't bother to hide her anger anymore this time. "I'll bet!" she spat out before she furiously opened the door to her side and boarded off the car. She didn't care if she had to walk all the way back to her house, alone and in the dark. The danger and inconvenience of such course of action was pushed at the back of her mind for the meantime. Because all that mattered right now was for her to escape this part of her past that kept coming back to haunt her. She wanted to put as much distance as possible between her and her 'ghost'.

_She never wanted to see Kenshin Himura ever again!_ So why were the fates so wickedly mischievous when it came to the destiny of her life?

"Kaoru wait!"

She plugged her ears with her fingers to prevent his voice from intruding her thoughts. And when she felt him get out of the car and start walking towards her, she started to sprint. When he hastened his pace to catch up to her, she started to run._ She was damn determined to escape him!_

"Wait!"

He was much too fast for her to be able to put a great distance between them. And the next thing she knew, he was grabbing her arm and shouting for her to stop. To her surprise, she found herself shouting back.

"Kaoru, for chrissakes you never stay put long enough to finish a conversation!"

"As far as I'm concerned Mr. Himura, this talk is very much over! Now let go of me!"

She pushed him away with all her strength, and managed to succeed somewhat to put some space between them. She covered her hands to her lips to choke back a sob. He tried to come near, gently this time, but she backed away.

In almost a whisper, she implored to him, "Take me home now please. I'm very tired…"

_**xzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxz**_

"Don't you think you're giving up too soon, 'ol boy?"

Kenshin shook his head solemnly and directed a half-smile to Kamatari after he had settled on the seat right across the man. Kaoru retired to her room as soon as they had arrived, but that was hours ago. And since he didn't feel like leaving just yet, Kenshin decided to stay and converse with Kaoru's male housemate and find out the things his ex-wife had done for herself for the past year.

The two of them met earlier when Kamatari came home from work and was about to open the front gate of his house. Kenshin approached him and introduced who he was. Kamatari was very surprised indeed to find out something this extremely important regarding Kaoru's life. So he asked Kenshin to wait for a while outside while she confronted Kaoru about this. And sure enough, Kaoru's fearful reaction affirmed the truth in Mr. Himura's story, so Kamatari had no choice but to go outside and give him the signal to come inside. After that, the former spouses left the house to talk privately about their status.

They came back not too long after. Kamatari was about to greet her but Kaoru didn't even spare her friend a glance as she hurriedly entered her bedroom. So her housemate had no choice but to get the explanation from his friend's ex-husband.

"I've only known Kaoru-chan for a year you know," Kamatari waved the beer can he held in his hands rather wildly in the air, indicating that he was getting quite drunk._ They had been talking for quite some time now._ "But I feel like I've known her forever. She can be so uncommunicative or uncooperative when she's angry at someone or something, you know. Maybe you should try talking to her again when she's calmed down or something."

Kenshin idly swirled the can he held in his hand, the one given to him by Kamatari and the one that he was yet to drink from because he was so deep in thought. "I know what you mean…but-" he sighed wearily, "-I'm thinking that this might be a mistake after all."

"What is?"

Kenshin raised his eyes to meet Kamatari's terribly feminine face, and then shrugged. "About me seeing her again. I saw how disturbed she was to see me once more after all these years. I don't think she will appreciate any further attempts to talk to me after tonight."

_A sudden flash of memory overcame him._ Earlier, Kaoru's pained eyes indicated how much she didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore. He was quite surprised that her aversion for him didn't alter even after so much time had already passed…

But the thing that he was most astonished with was how much it hurt to see that Kaoru no longer had an iota of affection, or even respect or interest for that matter, left for him. At least, none that he could see or sense.

_And here he thought that time heals all wounds…_

"Not all wounds Mr. Himura," Kamatari answered Kenshin when he unconsciously didn't realize that he voiced out those last thoughts. Kamatari opened another can and was getting ready to chug it down without hesitation. He wiped his lips with the back of his palm afterwards and returned his attention to his guest. "People often take for granted that sad fact. We mustn't always rely on nature to clean up after our own messes, you know."

"It had been two years," Kenshin replied absent-mindedly. "I moved on, and I thought she did too."

Kamatari guessed what he really meant by that. And he answered him rather touchily like a woman pouting, "I'm surprised that you expected her to find someone else as fast as you did, Mr. Himura. Women tend to be more attached to certain relationships more than men, even if it was a relationship that was already over and done with."

"You think that she's still-?" Kenshin looked up at the man with genuine wonder.

Kamatari held up his hands in surrender and told him pointedly, "Hold on! I didn't mean that she's still pinning away for you or something, so don't give me that look. I don't know Kaoru well enough in that department to make assumptions regarding that matter. All I'm saying here is that even though it has been two years since you separated, Kaoru may not be seeing someone just because of the plain and simple reason that she hasn't gotten over the trauma of your failed relationship. You are her first and only love after all- the guy she married and ended up throwing away everything she had in the process."

Kenshin looked away, an indiscernible emotion flickered beneath his lavender eyes as he contemplated over that. After a while, he couldn't help but say, "I didn't mean to hurt her so much… I didn't mean to-"

_Love her to the point of madness? Want her to the extent where sound reasoning just wasn't important to him anymore when he, Kenshin Himura, was famed to have always been ruled by his logic more than by his emotions? Dream to grow old with her and wish to remain with her until their dying days?_

"I didn't mean to…" he paused, unsure for a split second. When Kamatari raised a questioning eyebrow, he continued, "-to take her freedom away when she was too young and had so many dreams to fulfil. I didn't mean to cut her off at the prime of her life," he finished instead. Kenshin shook his head after saying those words and got up. Kamatari followed suit.

"I thank you for the hospitality Mr. Hounjo."

"Oh please, friends and close acquaintances call me Miss Kamatari, or just Kamatari," the man giggled effeminately. Kenshin didn't take offence in the man's homosexual tendencies and grinned broadly in return. He was then accompanied to the front door and his coat was handed over in preparation of his departure. Kenshin was about to let himself out of the front door when his gracious host stopped him.

With his right hand on his guest's shoulder, Kamatari asked hesitantly, "About my dear friend Kaoru…"

Kenshin guessed the man's apprehension and assured him with quiet solemnity, "I don't want to trouble her anymore after seeing how badly she reacted to my presence tonight. I will honour her request and have this divorce settled by our lawyers instead. We don't have to see each other again after tonight…"

Kenshin turned his sight to the hallway door that he earlier found out was Kaoru's bedroom. A flash of an unreadable emotion glimmered in his eyes. "I know this is what she wants…"

"Is that right?"

Kenshin suddenly turned to Kamatari and chided, "You sound doubtful and I wonder why."

"Well," Kamatari shrugged, unrepentant, and frankly pointed out, "Are you really sure it's what she wants? Could it be that…it's what YOU want after all?"

"Now wait a minute there-"

Kamatari was already pushing him out of the door before he could even raise one word to his defense. And before the man could close the door completely, he gave this to Kenshin in parting, "No offence Mr. Himura, it's just that I'm still a man myself and I know that most guys have this tendency to do stupid things because they '_thought_' it's what women really wanted."

Kenshin wasn't given a chance to put in his say about the matter because the door already slammed closed on his face. But even if Kamatari gave him an opportunity to defend his male honour, he wasn't sure he could have done so effectively because…

He watched as all the lights were extinguished inside the house, indicating that the residents were going to retire for the night now._ Could it be that it's what –_YOU_- really wanted…? _Kamatari's question rang inside his mind in repeated echoes. Kenshin was thoroughly confused after that question was thrown at his face, and his emotions wreaked havoc inside him as his eyes turned heavenwards for some divine answer to put his mind at ease.

And his mind went back to the beautiful, unsullied image of his former wife once more…

Kaoru…_ After all these years, you're still the same._ And Kenshin, he knew he didn't change much either, if his silent agony over these familiar emotions was to be used as proof of that sad fact.

Kenshin reached inside his sleeves and felt the crude texture of an old, hand-made bracelet wrapped around his left wrist. As he touched the item and fiddled with it between his fingers, he knew with great despair what his answer would be to Kamatari's question…

_Yes_, he affirmed quietly in his mind._ I NEVER wanted to see Kaoru again…_

-Because seeing her again after all these years brought back every single memory and emotion of the past that they shared together. A past that he could never bring back_…no matter how much he wished it to be so, with all of his being._

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**_A/N: Yeah! Another chapter finished! Thanks for those who pointed out my mistake about using either 'he' or 'she' when referring to Kamatari and when I accidentally used 'I' instead of 'she' to portray Kaoru. You see, as I've said in the last chapter, I was about to board the car before we head off to our vacation so that's the reason why I wasn't given enough time to carefully scrutinize and edit the chapter. But all in all, thank you for all the support, praises and corrections. I really appreciated it!_**

**_And so here is my response for some reader queries for chapter two! (:D)_**

**re weird**- No, it's not that I don't like Megumi._ In fact I somewhat like her in the anime and I love reading fics about her love team with Sano._ It's just that, in a story there will always be a few bad apples to make the tale realistic. I just often pick Megumi to be one of those nasty or bad or bitchy people because, for me at least, the readers will have no problem imagining her as such. Whereas for example, if I try portraying Misao as the nasty and bitchy one in a certain story…well…the shoe just won't fit as properly, don't you think?

**Heidi19**- as said in the first chapter, they separated because they were too young and the reality of marriage disillusioned them…

Leighbriel-Misokita- Kenshin's fiancée is definitely Tomoe, as said in chapter 1 in the letter of invitation. (Himura-Yukishiro nuptials)

**princess-oro**- Oh no, you didn't hurt my feelings at all. Nor did I take offence in your corrections. In fact, I encourage corrections from my readers because I firmly believe that we are here in to polish our writing skills as well as enjoy spinning and reading tales about our favourite canon characters. I already explained in the first paragraph of my author's notes why I made so many mistakes. Thanks for pointing them out. Makes editing so much easier… (:D)

**Payne N. Uranus**- Love the rhymes, lolz!

**Firalyn Tiatra**- The song that Kaoru is trying to finish? Read on to find out. Oh, and thank you for 'he'-'she' correction. Oh and about Ms. Tae's nephew (not cousin)…well…as I've said, you have to read on to find out (grin).

**gabyhyatt**- Nope, he didn't think that Kamatari was having a relationship with Kaoru at all.

**kitsune55**- Does Kamatari like Kaoru in this story? Well…not in the beginning at least. But since you know that I absolutely adore incorporating love triangles and love squares and the like in my stories, then you can be sure that he will-_ sooner or later_.

**Kenjiniki**- I'll answer your queries sa text na lang ate. If that's alright with you, hmmm?

**t**- Marriage for convenience? We'll see…

_**Well there you go! Hope I didn't forget anyone. So until then, ciao, ciao!**_

**_P.S. This chapter is dedicated to Tiara Izella…Kenjiniki's newborn baby girl. You go ate Gen! And yeah I love the myth about Cupid and Psyche, that's why I incorporated that here in my fic. _(;P)**


	4. best friend with benefits

"Thank you very much! Goodnight everyone!"

Kaoru bowed low to her waist as she bode the evening audience goodbye. It was the end of their band's set, and she was seriously pooped. As they went backstage, Kaoru quickly searched for a chair to rest on, blowing some air up her bangs as she sat on top of the one that she found near a corner. Before her, Sanosuke was returning their instruments to their proper cases. He grinned warmly at her tired expression. "Rough day?" he inquired.

"The roughest!" she exhaled dramatically. "And I haven't studied for Ms. Yumi's major Economics quiz tomorrow! Those taxation laws are a killer!"

"Are you talking about our Economics class?" Misao intruded upon them. She just went to the manager about something, and was now returning to join her friends. "Well I hope that you're not asking for sympathy from us. You had lots of time before to rehash those lessons," her friend gently rebuked.

"I know, I know," Kaoru muttered, waving her hand dismissively in the air to add pathos. She held her forehead and groaned, "And then there's this assignment for analytic geometry that I haven't even started yet… If only I didn't need the tuition money, I would have quit this job months ago so I could focus more on my studies."

"You're taking anal geom.?" Sanosuke shifted the guitar case strap over his shoulder. "But aren't you supposed to be taking deferential calculus this semester?"

"She failed her pre-requisite subject last term," Misao informed him. That earned her a glare from Kaoru, followed by a sarcastic, "Thanks for just telling the world that I failed analytic geometry when I didn't want anyone else to know but you."

Misao grinned, knowing too well that Kaoru was more irritated with herself for the failure and not at her revelation. "Most students really have a hard time coping with Math, Kaoru. Don't kick yourself repeatedly because of it."

"Yeah? Well-" Kaoru started as she got up on her feet. She rubbed her forehead agitatedly with her index finger and thumb as she replied, "I'm not supposed to be like 'most people', you know. I hate failure!"

"Honestly your tendency to be such a perfectionist can be so annoying," Sano drawled as he slapped her hard on the shoulder from behind. Kaoru cried out and tried to return the favour. But Sano was quick to dodge her retaliating punch and put some distance between them. Misao only laughed at their antics.

"I got monkeys for band mates," Kaoru muttered, beginning to get really pissed off. Her forming migraine was not making her as jolly and as even-tempered as she usually was.

Sanosuke turned to Misao with an impish grin, "I think we've just been complimented Misao-chan."

The small girl with pigtails elbowed him and rolled her eyes, "Speak for yourself, you big ape."

And the trio went home together, teasing Kaoru along the way. Kaoru was getting annoyed. But at the same time, she was happy that her life was finally returning to normal. For you see, it had been almost a week since the 'ghost' from her troubled past (a.k.a. her ex-husband) came and disrupted her quiet world. But as easily as he came back to her life, then just as quickly did he left… After their discussion in his car, Kaoru never saw Kenshin again after that incident._ She supposed that she should be glad, but…_

"Gay men are better lovers for women-" Misao was saying as Kaoru snapped out of her reverie. She couldn't exactly remember what started this topic. "-because they have the sensitivity of a real woman," Misao finished, side-stepping an empty box that littered the sidewalk.

Sanosuke was rolling his eyes as they walked the silent streets of the town. "Yeah right. Like a gay man would really make a go for a real woman. I think you're missing the point of the word 'gay' here Misao."

Kaoru tried to scan her memory regarding their subject._ How did this issue come about anyway?_

"They're still men deep, deep, deep, deep down inside you know!" Misao argued vehemently. "I think given the right situation and some quality time with a member of the fairer sex, a homosexual guy can grow feelings for that certain woman."

"And if such a scenario is possible," Sano was holding his stomach in suppressed laughter. "Who do you think will take the top position in bed?"

Misao gave him a mischievous grin, "I think the better question is, who among the two will get penetra-"

_Kaoru have had enough!_ Drawing her eyebrows together, she lagged behind and told them point-blank with palms raised, "Hold it! Hold it! Before Misao could fill my mind with thoughts that I'd rather not think about, may I ask you guys why we are even talking about relationships with gay men here?"

Sano and Misao looked at each other, before they returned their attention to their indignant companion. "Well Kamatari is gay, right?" Sanosuke queried back with an amused and naughty expression.

Kaoru started to get suspicious. "Yeah…" she answered slowly. "So what's your point?"

"And you've been living with him for almost two years, if I'm not mistaken."

"And he sometimes acts straight and that you find him terribly sexy when he does, you told me so yourself!" Misao added with an excited giggle. "So…"

At that moment, Kaoru started to slowly realize what the playful pair was hinting at. She looked at them back and forth, eyes wide and incredulous at the implication. Choking, she asked, "Surely you're not thinking-"

The two showed her matching grins, much like what Tweedle-dee and Twiddle-dum wore when they were teasing Alice. And after seeing this, Kaoru burst out laughing, "Oh God! So you guys ARE implying what I think you are implying. Oh this is so rich!" Her hand found a wall to lean onto while she held her stomach in laughter. "If Kamatari ever found out that you guys are setting me up with him, he'll probably pack his bags and go on a pilgrimage for thirty years to enlighten him about how weird some people are!"

"Well I firmly believe that there's a possibility," Misao persisted, her playful smile never leaving her face. "Right Sano?"

"Don't look at me. I'm only an ape, according to your own words, remember?"

Kaoru waved her hands in the air in mock-exasperation. She stared heavenwards as if seeking for redemption as she uttered out loud, "You guys are so-"

"Cute?" Misao finished.

"Smart?" Sano's turn.

"Indispensable?"

"Irresistible?"

Kaoru giggled and rolled her eyes. The three have finally reached the avenue where they would separate since the three of them didn't live in the same neighbourhood. And even as Kaoru said her goodbyes to them, Sano and Misao were still not yet finished with their little game of 'fill-in-the-last-word-of-the-sentence'.

"Gorgeous?"

"Cool?"

"Chic?"

"Have fun you guys," Kaoru murmured as she walked away with her head shaking with repressed mirth. "Have fun…"

Kaoru shoved her hands inside her coat pockets as the evening temperature dropped a few more notches. Vapour was coming out from her nose everytime she exhaled. The streets were dark with only the soft, dimmed lights of the streetlamps to break the darkness. The sound of her two-inch heels against the cold, hard pavement reverberated ominously against the deafening silence of the night. A dog darted out from the bushes in front of her, and it quickly scurried to the other side of the street. Only a few cars passed by at this time of the night. And though she should be afraid for being alone in such a dark, empty place…she knew that she was safe because her town was quite famous for having such a low crime rate. And most of those crimes, too, were usually of the petty kind. Like the occasional street side pick pocketing or vandalizing caused by juvenile delinquents.

Her town was peaceful._ She was most assured of that…_

But just for precaution, Kaoru always toted around a hand Taser in her bag. It was given to her by her father years ago for security purposes since she was the only child and daughter of Japan's most famous and richest couple, coming second only to the Japanese royal family. And if her Taser was not insurance enough, there's always her Kendo skills to rely on in times of trouble.

So in other words, Kaoru Kamiya-Himura had nothing to fear but fear itself.

Kaoru arrived at her house ten minutes before 11 o'clock. After she opened the front gate, she expected that she'd find the house dark and that Kamatari would already be sleeping around this time. But much to her surprise, she found all the lights still turned on while a sensual-sounding music wafted through the air.

Confused, she walked towards the front door and knocked loudly. She thought she heard a muffled sound of a man's voice before it was followed by Kamatari's high-pitched voice, "Coming!"

The door swung open and a shirtless Kamatari with mussed up hair and slightly swollen pink lips greeted her. "Darling!" he panted with a lopsided grin. "You're home!"

Kaoru cocked an eyebrow when she realized that her friend was out of breath-_ like he just ran all the way from the other end of the house to open the door_, or something. "You're early Kaoru-chan. Did your manager fire you or something?" he asked rather hurriedly in an attempt to look casual and off-handed.

"Early?" Kaoru's brow rose even higher. "Kamatari, its 11 o'clock. I get out of 'Java Street' at 10:30."

"Oh…"

Kaoru twitched her nose when she detected something. "Have…have you been drinking lately?" She stepped closer and sniffed his neck. "And is that perfume you're wearing?"

"Who? Me?" Kamatari laughed nervously. "Of course not! Er…I mean, sure I drank a bit. But you know I don't wear perfume. I like my natural scent."

Kaoru folded her arms to her chest. "Yeah, I know that. That's why I'm puzzled why you smell like a freshly opened bottle of Esteé-Lauder. And-" Kaoru could still hear the music in the background. But now, she thought she heard an almost unmistakably-male voice coming from inside the house too, but she couldn't be too sure. She faced her friend once more and asked, "Why aren't you sleeping? And why are you playing that music?"

"I-I-I…well…that is to say…"

"Kamatari, I'm beginning to think that you're hiding something from me," Kaoru smiled with confusion as she pushed her friend away from the doorway so she could enter the house and investigate. As she came in, she absent-mindedly removed her coat while her eyes roamed around to find anything that looked even remotely out of the ordinary. What Kaoru found, though, was a pail of chilled champagne on top of a nearby table, the fireplace aglow and the faux-bear rug slightly rumpled. A husky male voice crooned songs in Latin accompanied by the rich sound of the strumming of a Spanish guitar. All of this was being played from the stereo. Overall, it gave the living room a very sexy and sensual atmosphere.

Kaoru had to suppress a laugh after seeing such a set-up. Instead though, she turned around to face her friend who was slowly turning red with embarrassment. "Kama-chan tell me, since when did you start wearing blue-stripped boxer shorts?" she noted when her eyes flew to another part of the house.

"I beg your pardon?"

Kaoru stepped towards the couch and picked up the aforementioned underwear with a sly grin. She held it by the waist band as she dangled the piece of underclothing in front of her gay friend. "You always told me you like thongs or cotton briefs better…"

"I bought it just today!" he hastily explained. "I thought I'd give it a shot, you know. Just to know what it feels like."

"Uh-huh," Kaoru nodded. "Are you sure that's all?"

"Of course! What other reason could I have for possessing that?"

"Probably the same reason why the champagne you're reserving for a special occasion is brought out, the fireplace is ablaze, and that there's Latin music playing in the component. And don't get me started on that bear rug that was a gift of your aunt that you kept in the attic for so many years and is now outside of its box, spread across the floor." Kaoru walked around the living room while ticking off her fingers as she counted the reasons. "Add the mysterious boxers that I just found, and I'm guessing that you have company tonight but you do not wish for me to know about it. I wonder why, though…" Kaoru's lips quirked to the side, "But that's just my hypothesis. Feel free to offer a better explanation."

Kamatari held up his chin and sniffed the air haughtily, "Kaoru Kamiya, I have ABSOLUTELY no idea what you're hinting at. So it got a little frosty tonight. That's the reason why I was drinking champagne, got the fireplace going and brought down the rug. And so I'm in the mood to listen to Latin music. Is that a crime?"

Kaoru rolled her eyes and giggled at her friend's pathetic attempt to cover up whatever he was doing before she came home. "Who's the guy?"

"What guy? I already told you-"

Suddenly, they both heard a banging sound followed by a groan coming from the other end of the house. With one eyebrow cocked in victory, Kaoru walked over to the door leading to the basement. She instantly flung it open and was greeted by the sight of a bronzed, curly-haired, half-naked man holding his right foot in pain. The stranger smiled sheepishly and Kaoru smirked when she recognized who he was. "Hello Raul," she greeted their Latino gardener teasingly. "What are you doing in there?"

The poor man stumbled all over his tongue, "Aaahhh…Miss Kamiya…I ah, well, you see…"

"A-ah," Kamatari stammered as he walked up beside her and feigned a shocked look. "Raul where did you come from? And why are you almost naked?"

"Oh will you stop it!" Kaoru teased, elbowing her friend at the ribs for good measure. "When are you going to admit that I caught you?" And to Raul, she turned and waggled her eyebrows with a naughty grin on her lips, "I was wondering why the garden looked a mite unkempt this week. Turns out you're occupying your time with something that is beyond your job description."

"I probably should go…" the embarrassed man was mumbling as he started to come out from the basement doorway. Kaoru pored over their gardener's beautifully-sculpted, tanned body with admiration. She held her breath when she noticed that Raul was only wearing a towel wrapped around his mid-section and the cloth was not long enough to hide his long, muscular legs. The man was a certified hunk -_that she couldn't deny_- from his crown of curly, black hair, and all the way down to his strong, slender limbs and feet.

_It's so unfair!_ Kaoru couldn't stop the twinge of envy that pricked her womanly pride._ Why does Kamatari have to have all the gorgeous men?_ Kamatari was never short of both female and male admirers. While Kaoru, on the other hand, always got hit on by total jerks and losers._ How does her friend do it?_

"Yeah, you probably should…" Kamatari cooed consolingly while he handed Raul his shirt, pants and underwear before he secretly threw a scathing look in Kaoru's direction for discomforting his special 'friend'. And as soon as Raul was out of the door, Kamatari made his anger known by stomping across the living room as he started to put away his romantic paraphernalia from the den.

Kaoru followed him and asked tentatively, "Are you mad at me?"

"Why did you have to come home so early?" he grumbled out loud as he rolled up and folded the bear rug to a neat little pile. "And just when Raul and I were getting to the good part too!"

"Well sor-ree!" Kaoru stared at the ceiling in exasperation. "Maybe next time, you should leave a memo on the fridge door, telling me not to disturb you tonight because you're going to mess around with one of our utility men! What's next Kama-chan? The plumber?"

Kamatari whirled around and placed his hands on his hips with a disgusted look, "Eeeww! That fat, hairy bag? No thanks!"

Kaoru had to laugh after that, finally sure that her friend wasn't angry anymore if he could make a crack about their good-natured (and very-much married) plumber, Mr. Kozuki, like that. She walked towards the stereo and turned off the music while Kamatari carried the rug back to the attic.

When that was accomplished, they sat together on the couch and decided to share the barely touched champagne that was still sitting on top of the small table near them. They clinked their glasses together and sipped the contents of their respective glasses at the same time.

"I'm sorry about Raul," Kaoru apologized after draining her glass halfway.

"About what?" Kamatari was already reaching out for the bottle to pour himself a second. "About spoiling our fun? Don't worry about it, there'll be other times."

Kaoru smiled. "He's got a fine ass," she commented after a while as she watched the tongues of fire lick up the wood in the fireplace.

"I noticed that you were checking him out," Kamatari nudged her with a teasing grin. Kaoru blushed and looked away with a sheepish smile painted on her soft lips. "You can have him if you want. I was beginning to tire of him anyway," her friend said to her suggestively.

But that only earned him a scowl from her. "Do I look like a charity case where you can throw your cast-offs?" she shook her head after that statement, though. "No wait, don't answer that."

Kamatari set down his glass after he saw the sad glimmer in his friend's eyes. His hand reached up to her hair and he parted her bangs away from her beautiful cobalt eyes. "You don't have to have my cast-offs Kaoru…" he whispered reassuringly. "You're a beautiful young woman. And if only you'd open your eyes to the people around you, you'd see that not just a few young men are yearning for your attention, ready to sweep you off your feet…if only you'd give them a chance."

She smiled and raised her eyes to meet his. "You didn't just say 'sweep me off my feet', did you? Why Kama-chan, are you turning romantic on me?"

"Has anyone ever told you that your sarcasm can be so irritating at times?" he raised an eyebrow down at her.

She giggled. "My ex-husband always teased me of being chronically cynical."

"Oh…"

Kamatari decided not to pursue the topic when he saw that his friend, though smiling, only sank deeper into depression after being reminded of her estranged spouse. He was still persistent about getting his friend a man in her life, though._ But how could he do it when Kaoru was too hung-up with her last failed marriage to even spare some time and devotion in cultivating a new relationship?_

The key thing here was to get her interested in men again. And not just physically interested, mind you. The man must be in sync with her emotions to be able to make a deep, lasting connection.

_But where in the world can he find such a guy perfect and sensitive enough for the job of healing Kaoru's broken heart?_

"Kamatari…"

"Hmmm?"

She was looking at him with such doe-like innocence and eagerness that Kamatari almost gushed out loud how cute and adorable she looked. All he wanted at that moment was to hold her against him and hug her until her eyeballs popped out._ How come he could never hold a grudge against her for very long?_ At first, he was really infuriated for being interrupted from what could have been a hot, wonderful night of passionate bed tumblings with a fine specimen like Raul. But all Kaoru had to do was direct those dazzling pair of cobalt eyes at him, and all was forgiven.

"When did you realize that you were gay?"

"What?"

He had to lean back from her to assess her expression. He could probably spend the whole night just looking at her, and he knew he'd never tire of it. Kamatari didn't think that the sweet lass had any idea how refreshingly beautiful she really was. Because if she did, she'd probably pull a bag over her face in sheer mortification._ That'll be so like Kaoru too_, he mused._ Being embarrassed by her own wonderful traits_. Even now when she's already a professional singer for almost two years and was praised on her vocal prowess on a nightly basis, the attention still made her terribly uncomfortable.

Kamatari could not deny the envy he felt for his friend. There were times when the two of them would walk together and Kaoru would tease him about the stares he was receiving from the female passers-by…not once noticing the same ardent attention she herself was receiving from the male eyes that landed on her. And he'd always feel a touch of anger for the adoring interest that the men bestowed upon the oblivious Kaoru_. He attributed this to envy, but…_

…but if this was true, then why did he feel the same annoyance boil him inside when Kaoru directed an admiring gaze at Raul earlier? Kamatari knew Raul was homosexual like him, and was not in any way interested with females- especially Kaoru who was his employer._ So why was he annoyed when Kaoru expressed obvious interest to a man who Kamatari was long bored off…?_

"Why do you ask?" Kamatari returned to the question at hand, suddenly wary and disturbed of the direction his thoughts were taking him.

Her answer short, paired with a shrug, "Just curious."

Kamatari held his chin in a pensive look. "Hard to tell, I've been like this for as long as I can remember…"

"Oh? So does that mean that you were never-" she suddenly became hesitant to continue. Intrigued, Kamatari inched closer and cocked an eyebrow questioningly down at her. "I mean," she coughed uncomfortably, suddenly wishing she didn't start this topic, "Does that mean that you've always been attracted to men and men alone since you were a child?"

"Kaoru what are you implying…?" he cast her a suspicious look. "Are you asking me if I ever got interested with women, even just once, before I fully admitted to myself that I'm gay?"

She scratched her head sheepishly and stuck out her tongue. He took it as an affirmative answer and that made him think for a while.

_Was he ever…?_ Kamatari paused as he scanned his memory of the life before he became a full-blooded homosexual guy._ No_, he couldn't remember a time that he was ever attracted to a woman, OR, deceived himself to be attracted to one during the early times of his childhood when he was still in denial of his sexual orientation.

Kaoru bent forward slightly to peer through his bangs as she asked him slowly, "Well…were you-?"

He suddenly grinned when an idea to tease her popped out inside his mind. Leaning forward with that trademark sexy grin on his lips, he asked her in a husky voice, "Are you asking for an assurance that I might one day bless you with my affection?"

She snorted at that. "Be serious!"

"But I am!" his smirk grew wider. "Let's dance!"

Kaoru was jerked up to her feet before she could even think of refusing. Kamatari retrieved the stereo remote and turned on the component. He punched a track number and Avril Lavigne's song _'I'm Falling Down'_ quickly blotted out the silence of the room. He then placed his left hand on her waist, while he entwined the other hand with hers.

"Hounjo Kamatari, what are you-" Kaoru barely finished her sentence when her friend suddenly yanked her around in a crazy dance. They were both laughing and shouting at the same time (with Kaoru doing most of the shouting) as they circled the living room.

"I-I-I-I'm g-get-ting d-d-d-dizzy!" she shrieked as they whirled around the room. "Kamatari slow down!"

"_I am falling down. Try and stop me. Feels so good to hit the ground_," Kamatari ignored her as he sang along Avril's voice. "Don't you just love this song Kaoru?"

She blocked her lips with her two fingers as she quelled down her digested food's ascent to her mouth. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Ah, ah, ah we can't have that!" he panicked and they stopped. He waited for a few seconds until the greenish tint on her face disappeared. "Are you fine now?" he queried worriedly, one hand on her left shoulder.

"I, I think so…" she murmured weakly. "Just don't do that again! Especially when I just drank champagne!"

"Okay, okay," he held up his hands, trying to placate her. "We'll dance slowly this time, will that be okay?"

"Actually I'd rather go to my room. I'm tired and I still have my homework to do."

He clicked his tongue against his teeth at that. "Oh come on don't be a k.j.! I promise this will be a slow one, okay?" Kamatari then turned away to change the CD in the player. But Kaoru was already walking up to him in protest. "Kamatari I really don't have time for this and-"

She was stopped when the living room was suddenly enveloped with the warm, soft music coming from the stereo. And much to her surprise, her own voice started to sing the lines of a familiar song, with Sanosuke as her duet partner. Kamatari turned around and smiled as he saw Kaoru listening intently to her recorded voice. She then directed her eyes to him and asked him, "How did you-"

"I videotaped one of your gigs a few nights ago, remember?" he answered her question before she could finish it. "And I extracted the audio, cleaned up the background noise and stuff with the use of my music editor, and burned it to an audio CD."

"Why?"

"Why?" Kamatari laughed at her confusion. "Why what?"

"Why did you go to all the trouble of recording and editing my songs?"

"I like listening to your voice. But I can't possibly go down to Java Street every night just to listen to your singing now, can I?"

Kaoru smiled sheepishly after that indirect praise. She bowed her head to hide the pink colouring of her cheeks from her friend. In a low voice, she meekly suggested, "I can always sing for you, you know. All you have to do is ask…"

She almost jumped out of her skin when, in only a split second, Kamatari was already in front of her, tipping up her chin so that her eyes could meet his. He was smiling that charming smile of his that always guaranteed him car sales, though this time, he didn't even realize that he was using it. "I'd like that Kaoru-chan," he replied with a voice full of tenderness. "But I wouldn't want to bother you every time I had the impulse to listen to your voice. So this CD recording I have will suffice."

His smile made her heart pick up a beat._ 'They are still men deep, deep, deep, deep down inside…'_ Misao's words reverberated inside her mind._ 'They are still men…'_

Kaoru was aghast with herself when she realized that she was entertaining thoughts of being romantically attached to her gay best friend._ 'Stop it!'_ she scolded herself mentally._ 'Your love life may be well below zero, Kaoru Kamiya. But you are not desperate enough to start falling for your homosexual friend! You are most certainly not!'_

Kamatari dropped his hands to her waist and she, without even wholly realizing it, found her own hands on top of his shoulders as they started to sway slowly to the song. The song was one of her personal favourites; it was titled _'We Could Be in Love'_. And slowly as the song progressed, she realized that she was unable to tear her eyes away from her queer friend.

"**_Anyone who've seen us,_**

_**knows what's going on between us**_

_**It doesn't take a genius,**_

_**to read between the lines...**_

_**And its not just wishful thinking,**_

_**or only me who's dreaming**_

_**I know what these are symptoms of,**_

**_we could be in love"_**

'_It's just the drink, the atmosphere, and those stupid suggestions given to me by Sano and Misao that got me thinking of these absurd things,'_ Kaoru consoled herself when she realized that she had been looking at Kamatari's lips for longer than what was necessary. For after all,_ how could she be attracted to any man when she had sworn off love from her list of priorities_? And seeing her ex-husband almost a week ago only strengthened her resolve even more to close off her heart semi-permanently from any emotional entanglements whatsoever.

_She couldn't risk giving her heart to a man and hurting herself once more if the relationship failed…_

She couldn't risk loving her housemate the same way that she loved Kenshin Himura before… Because this time around, heartache was imminent because Hounjo Kamatari was only interested in men.

"Kama-chan…"

"Hmmm?"

She slowly disengaged herself from her friend and smiled, "I still have some school work to do…so…umm…"

Kamatari felt a tug in his heart that he couldn't quite name as Kaoru stepped away from him. Was that…_disappointment_…he felt? But why would he feel disappointed to have their contact broken?_ It just didn't make sense!_

"Goodnight then."

Kaoru was hesitant to tiptoe and plant a soft kiss on Kamatari's cheek like what she usually does before they parted. So instead, she settled on patting his left shoulder rather timidly before she turned around and left the living room. But before she could disappear behind the protection of the varnished wooden door of her bedroom, she heard Kamatari call out to her softly. "Kaoru-chan."

She held her breath before raising her eyes to meet his. Uncertainty flickered in his eyes and Kamatari couldn't help but lick his lower lips anxiously. Kaoru wondered why he was hesitating though.

"Well Kamatari?"

He looked up and met her cobalt eyes filled with innocence and wonder. He remembered how these same eyes were filled with tears, though they never fell, the night her ex-husband came to visit. He empathized with her agony when she finally told him the whole story of how she broke up with Kenshin Himura the day after the confrontation. And he was angry at Kenshin Himura for making this wonderful woman cry so much.

But above all these troubled emotions, he felt his heart skip a beat when he realized how beautiful Kaoru was in that powder-blue halter top, paired with that adorable, white, knee-length flared skirt that he bought for her months ago. Her raven-black hair flowed past her shoulders and she looked terribly haggard due to stress from her studies and from her job._ And yet, even when she looked her worst, Kamatari still found her as nothing short of divine…_

It was at that slight irregularity of his heartbeat that he came upon a resolution. In his back pocket, he was about to retrieve a white envelope that was addressed for her, with the return address belonging to her ex-husband. But after looking in her eyes and realizing that he didn't want to further hurt this woman who was not only his friend but also his soul mate, he decided to push the letter back inside his pocket.

"Nothing," Kamatari grinned, shoving the folded envelope deeper. "I forgot what I was about to say."

Kaoru raised an eyebrow, shrugged, smiled back, and then finally closed the door behind her. And as soon as she was gone, Kamatari fished out the letter from his pants and tossed it in the fireplace. With keen interest, he watched the orange tongues of fire slowly lick up the white sheet of paper until it was nothing more but grey ashes among dancing red flames.

'_Kenshin Himura…you belong to the past. And will remain there, as long as I can help it,'_ was his silent vow.

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**_A/N: Yes my dear readers, Kamatari is the second love interest in this story. But don't worry, the main pairing is still KnK _(:D)_ Our fave RK couple will meet again next chapter when a sudden dilemma suddenly brings the lovers back together (for the time being). I hope you guys will hang around 'till then to find out what the dilemma is … _(;P)**

**_The songs featured in this chapter is "Falling Down" by Avril Lavigne (I think from the movie "Raising Helen" though feel free to correct me if I'm wrong), and "We Could Be in Love" which is performed by a Filipina singer (who I'm very proud of)…who is none other but Ms. Lea Salonga. You may recognize her voice in the songs "A Whole New World" from the Disney movie "Aladdin", and "Reflection" from "Mulan"._**

**_And now, reader shout-offs goes to the following wonderful people:_**

_reader whatever_

_Sabel-_ Yes Tomoe will definitely make an appearance, owing to the fact that she is Kenshin's current fiancée.

_Duderly Bob-_ Please keep all lynching mobs at bay coz here's the update! (:D)

_shears-_ Yes they'll definitely get back together by the end of my fic, so don't you worry (;D) Oh and btw, what does 'ice cream and chick flick binge' mean? Sorry if I seem thick (sticks out tongue and punches head).

_DiAmoNd T3aRz_

_Aya45_

_punKrocKergrl_

_SKyBaybe_

_princess-oro-_ I searched the RK fanfiction archive for the keyword 'divorce' and got another story that was similar in premise with my own fic. I forgot the author name and title though… (sweatdrops) Try searching it by entering the 'divorce' word and I'm sure it will turn up. (gives princess-oro a cup of hot chocolate)

_Crystal Winds_

_RogueSummersLover-_ Yes I know those feelings (grins). Judging by your account name, you must be quite the lover of poignant situations, is that right?

_saskia2_

_blueangel-maggie1723_

_Kage Ame_

_Rockyrml_

_kitsune55-_ You can be sure that Kaoru still has the sheet music (:D) Sano meet Kenshin? Probably, since Sano is one of Kaoru's best friends here and it's kinda hard not getting friends involved in this kind of matters. Sano liking Kaoru? I dunno…what do you think? Should I make him like her?

_listings-_ Awww don't be depressed please. This story is going to have a happy ending, I promise. You saw Psyche and Cupid's statue at Louvre? Urgh! Now I'M depressed…

_Jess-chan of the Nya Nya Neko_

_Lendra-chan_

_Iris Night_

_Payne N. Uranus-_ Lolz! I actually LOVE your name! I noticed and realized it before and I thought what an interesting person you must be, so I went ahead and read your bio. I especially like your anecdote/quote about your teacher saying, "That's a good question. Do you have another one? Like, which end of the pen do I use?" I think that was a really witty moment.

_Clemen_

_royal blueKitsune-_ Thanks for the fic suggestion! And how long will this story run? Hmm…not sure. Still too early to tell. And yes, this is most definitely a KnK story… (:D)

_Lady Dark Angel_

_Kenjiniki-_ Elow big sis! Me thinks I already replied to your chapter 3 queries in friendster or thru text, am I not right? (;P)

_horsegirl_

_Anonymous but very interested-_ Yes they're still very much interested with each other. And don't worry about the composition, I can assure you that Kaoru still has it. Thanks for reviewing! (:D)

_ken-_ You read my story? Could've fooled me (;P)

_raiden no onna_

_JovianShe-Wolf_

_**Well that's all for this chapter, little kiddies. So ciao for now, and good day!**_


	5. through the bottleneck

"I love you so much! Please marry me!"

Kaoru stuck her tongue out as she veered the stack of pancakes that she had meticulously prepared for their breakfast away from Kamatari's reach. That morning was one of those rare instances when Kaoru would suddenly decide out of the blue to cook for the two of them. She wasn't very adept in the culinary arts, that much she'd admit, but she wasn't really bad when it came to cooking something as simple as pancakes and waffles- which happened to be Kamatari's absolute favourites. And for this reason: the unexpected marriage proposal.

"Awww, no ring?" she grinned at her housemate's crestfallen expression when she refused to hand over the plate of goodies. "What kind of guy are you? Asking a woman's hand in marriage without the ring."

"I'll give you a ring, an earring, a nose ring, toe ring, a piston, pineapple rings- anything that you want!" he cried out desperately as he stood up on his feet to make a grab for the food. "Just please, please, please stop torturing me!"

Kaoru laughed and finally gave in, much to Kamatari's immense relief and happiness. She set down the stack on top of the dining table and he resumed his place in front of the mouth-watering sight. He practically drooled as he watched her pour the maple syrup on top of the pancakes. When that was done, Kaoru took the seat opposite her friend's and started to fork the significantly smaller pile of food in front of her while Kamatari completely forgot any grace and dignity he had and began scarfing down his meal.

Kaoru took a bite and slowly savoured the taste of butter, syrup and pancake between her tongue and teeth with much satisfaction. But contrary to her slow pace, her housemate didn't bother relishing one piece before he stuffed another in his mouth. And when he gagged between bites, Kaoru only rolled her eyes and handed him a glass of milk to wash the food down. He shot her a gratified look before digging right back in.

She looked out of the kitchen window and noted the dark clouds forming in the horizon and the chilly wind coming into the house. It looked like it was going to rain any second, and it depressed her. Rain was something that always disheartened her, which was strange considering the fact that she used to love it back when she was a lot younger. Anyone who knew her before and after the divorce with her husband would probably associate this melancholia with the fact that it was raining the day she-

The phone in the den suddenly began ringing and Kaoru hastily got up to answer it, mentally whispering her thanks to whatever divine being that offered her such a timely intervention. Kamatari raised an eyebrow at her seemingly over-enthusiastic attitude to answer the call and he asked her in a loud voice, "You expecting someone?"

"Moshi-moshi," Kaoru greeted in a slightly breathless voice over the receiver while deliberately ignoring her housemate's question. She frowned when she heard the frantic female voice that responded. "Misao? Are you crying?" The line on her forehead deepened when she heard the answer. "Okay, okay! I'll be right over!"

Kamatari came out from the dining room just in time to see Kaoru putting her coat on. Her eyes came up to meet his and she instantly responded to his unspoken query. "That was Misao. She sounded really terrible back there and I'm going over to her house right now to check up on her."

"What's the emergency about?"

She was already slipping her feet inside her sneakers when she replied. "I don't know," she admitted. "She was blubbering and sobbing too much to make sense."

"Don't you have class?"

"Later in the afternoon." Kaoru raised her hair to tie it in a hastily-made ponytail. After that was done, she faced her friend and showed him the apprehension she had been feeling ever since she heard Misao's distraught voice. "I'm worried."

Kamatari could have told her not to think about it too much because Misao had this silly tendency to exaggerate or overreact. But he chose not to, and instead, started to take his own jacket from the coat rack while Kaoru eyed him speculatively. After all,_ the ditzy Makimachi girl may be overly juvenile at times_, but she was also due to some seriousness too at some point in her life, and Kamatari hoped that this was one of those 'points'._ Otherwise_, he'd strangle the life out of the girl if this turned out to be another one of her over-dramatized dilemmas that always got everyone worked up for nothing.

"Are you're coming with me?"

Kaoru knew only too well that Misao exasperated Kamatari often with her sugar-rush antics, so her surprise wasn't exactly unwarranted.

He pocketed his car keys and cocked an eyebrow down at her. "If this is a REAL emergency, then you know that my presence will come in handy."

"And if it's not?"

He took a while to answer. And when he finally did, there was a mischievous glint in his eyes that was a little hard to discern if you didn't know Honjou Kamatari the way Kaoru did. "Then that friend of yours is going to find herself in one as soon as I get my hands on her."

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"Why did I come here again?"

Kaoru's words were barely heard above the din of the loud, raucous music being played over the blaring sound system. Around her and everywhere she looked, she saw scantily-clad bodies and masculine chests rubbing with each other as these people danced_ –rather obscenely in her opinion-_ to the pathetic excuse of a song blasting in the air that they dared call music. She winced every once in a while as the songs being played seemed to grow louder and more…_crude_…than the previous. The air was tainted heavily with the smell of cigar smoke, spilled alcohol and body sweat, and Kaoru had to stop herself several times from taking out her hankie and pushing it to her nose. Nothing made you stick out like a sore thumb more than looking like some sort of Virgin Mary, all innocent, coy and intimidated, in the middle of a nightclub such as this one.

And people actually liked going to these…places?

"Can I buy you a drink?"

A guy no more than thirty, Kaoru assumed, came up to her with a genial smile and a boyish twinkle in his eyes. He looked like a foreigner with his flaxen hair and incredibly-blue eyes, clean-cut and dressed to kill. Such charm was just too hard not to notice, and against Kaoru's better judgement, she started to smile back at him.

"No thanks," she politely refused with her back straight and head poised perfectly. "I'm okay."

Dimples appeared when he smiled, "Are you sure you won't change your mind?"

His voice was so smooth and the way his eyes crinkled when his lips lifted to form a playful grin was so endearing that she almost relented._ Almost_, because right at that moment an arm slithered over her right shoulder and Kamatari's face peeked out from her left. "Hey there buddy," he said with a deeply-male voice that Kaoru rarely heard him use. "What's up?"

She saw the man back away after seeing Kamatari's expression. Curious, Kaoru pulled back a bit to see her friend's profile and that was when she realized that there was a scowl lining his _'usually-smiling'_ lips. Kamatari felt Kaoru's gaze upon him and he momentarily tore his eyes away from the foreigner to look at her. His lips slowly curved upward and she caught his smile just before her breath got taken away with the kiss that followed.

It was brief, she noted, and it didn't even last form more than a few seconds. But it was telling. And by the time Kamatari pulled away and Kaoru looked around, she found the stranger gone.

She returned her attention to her friend and gently chided him, "Was that necessary? I think he got the hint the first time."

Kamatari bent his head forward and rubbed his nose against hers. "No… But it certainly reinforces the thought, don't you think?"

She slapped him and pushed him away with a smile. "Your flair for drama is so-"

"You guys!"

Misao, good-natured Misao whose head was always up in the clouds (Sanosuke's words, not Kaoru's), a ready (if not somewhat freaky) smile for anyone who fell into her good graces, with a charming disposition in life, was slowly making her way towards the two with an empty glass in one hand and a bendy straw in the other. Her face was red and her eyes were puffy due to repeated crying bouts, and her stance unsteady as she struggled to get near without wobbling off of her feet. Upon taking note of her unstable state, Kaoru's eyes quickly flew in Kamatari's direction with an indrawn breath and a sharp: "She's drunk!"

"A great way to forget your problems."

"That's not the point! For Pete's sake Kama-chan, she's not-"

Kaoru was already inching forward where Misao was bending over to talk to the bartender to give her another round when she felt Kamatari's restraining hand on her shoulder. She turned around and he returned her scowl with an understanding smile. "Let her. She's already an adult so let her deal with her problem the way she knows how."

She snorted at that. "So let me get this straight: I skipped my afternoon class -_something I can't afford to do because my General Statistics professor has been out for my blood since the start of the semester_- to accompany Misao and comfort her after Aoshi broke up with her…when all she really needed after all was a drink?"

Kamatari pretended to think about it but Kaoru had had enough! Without waiting for his answer, she pushed her way through the throng of people surrounding them and quickly approached Misao just as she was about to drain the glass filled with green transparent liquid. Kaoru reached out for it with a smile. "Honey why don't you let me have this one?"

Misao steered the glass away and scowled. "No! Go get your own!"

Undaunted, Kaoru grabbed the glass, though making sure she didn't spill it. "But I want this one. So give it to me Misao. Give…it!"

After a little tussle, Kaoru was finally able to steal the glass away from the younger girl. This earned her an ugly look from Misao, followed by a shove, "What's your problem? Give that back!"

In the middle of the bickering, a guy with a pierced lip came near and grinned flirtatiously at Misao, saying, "Hey there babe, care to dance?"

"Sure!"

"No!" Kaoru grimaced and straightened her back after Misao's affirmation. Then, turning to the guy, she gave him a tight smile. "I'm sorry but my friend is not interested in-"

"Hey I'm not talking to you!" the guy interrupted rather rudely with a sneer. "I'm talking to her. And I think she's very much interested. Ain't that right?"

Kaoru was about to give him a biting retort but this time the interruption came from her best friend. With a haughty sniff, Misao took the guy's outstretched arm and flippantly told Kaoru to back off. "What I do with my life is my business!" she added while tossing her pigtails over her shoulder in a show of defiance. Kaoru gritted her teeth as the cool she had been keeping was slowly fading away in the murky darkness of the night.

"You're drunk," Kaoru grounded her teeth with every word. "Misao I think we should be going on our way now. You need to rest and-"

"What you need-" the girl hit back, slapping the hand that Kaoru placed on her shoulder, "-is to loosen up! Seriously Kaoru for everyone's sake stop being such a grandma and just go get laid already! God knows you need it."

And with those words, she turned around and left with the guy grinning smugly from ear to ear as they headed for the center of the dance floor. Kaoru's lips thinned as she started to count from one to ten to alleviate the rage building up inside her. She closed her eyes and imagined many ways to hit and torture the Makimachi girl with a mallet as the anger slowly drained away from her system. When she was finally breathing normally, she opened her eyes and found Kamatari standing next to her.

He looked apologetic, and he was about to utter something but Kaoru stopped him by placing her index finger on his lips with the statement, "Not another word."

She glanced at her friend who was now spinning around in the middle of the dance floor with the pierced-lip guy. She let out a grunt of distaste and shot Kamatari an annoyed look, as if blaming him for what had happened and what was happening right in front of them.

Kamatari followed Kaoru's gaze and started to apologize again, "Misao is just intoxicated right now darling and-"

Kaoru raised her index finger to silence him. He nodded submissively when he got the hint. "Right…not another word…"

When she was unable to stomach the site of two bodies gyrating disgustingly on top of each other anymore, Kaoru turned around to head for the bar, with Kamatari following suit. Once there, she called for the bartender and ordered the strongest drink they could offer. But when the drink was finally presented to her, she looked at it like the date of her death was written all over it. She brought the glass rim below her nose and sniffed, but she didn't detect any telltale odour that would say that the stuff was poisonous. With a shudder, she set the glass on the table once more and tried to think.

Kamatari suddenly slithered up on the seat next to her with a teasing light in his eyes after he noted her apprehension. "Well? Aren't you gonna?"

Kaoru glared at him and he smirked, fully confident that she wouldn't actually go through with it._ This was Kaoru Kamiya we're talking about for Pete's sake!_ Miss prim-and-proper herself. She was the 'help-the-elderly-walk-the-street' kind of girl. The one who never shouted, never cussed (well, almost never), and who spoke of class and refinement (in her unguarded moments) even when she was talking about the most mundane of things. She was…in short…a lady, in the truest sense of the word. After all, wasn't she the one against going to this club in the first place?

But all these things melted in his mind when, in astonished silence, he watched as Kaoru, with an insolent look flashing in her eyes, tipped the glass to her lips and drained the contents in one go. Well she tried to be lady-like about it for sure, but as soon as she drank it down the scalding taste automatically made her cough vehemently afterwards. The liquor felt like scorching acid in her throat and she had to gag and choke a few times to get the unpleasant taste out of her mouth.

Amidst his surprise, Kamatari wanted to laugh. "Had enough?"

Even as she coughed she still found the time to frown at her friend. She opened her lips and drew out a long, "NOOO!"

Wobbling slightly as the effects of the drink started to manifest inside her, she turned around in her chair to face the bartended once more and motioned for another glass. "Kaoru what are you doing?" this time, Kamatari felt genuinely apprehensive about where this was all headed. "You're not thinking of having another go, are you?" he cried out in amazement. She was pouting her lips and blinking rapidly, a sure sign that she was getting unsteady. "Kaoru I'm telling you, don't!"

She already took the second glass and was draining the contents like there was no tomorrow. When that was finished, she set the glass down noisily and grinned lopsidedly at Kamatari, uttering, "That WAS great! At least, on the second try." She paused, as if thinking of something, before a big, goofy grin broke through her lips and she declared rather happily, "I'm going to have another one!"

"What? N-no! No! No!" Kamatari became flustered and he quickly seized the third glass being offered before Kaoru could get her hands on it. Kaoru's mouth formed a big 'O' in disappointment as she weakly tried to get the drink back. "But Kama-chan!" she protested in a childishly high voice, "Misao told me to loosen up."

"And I think you've loosen up enough honey. Enough of this, okay? I can't possibly take both of you home if the two of you are drunk."

All of a sudden, Kaoru jerked out of her chair and started to walk purposefully towards the crowd. Puzzled, Kamatari jogged up to catch her and grabbed her arm to hold her in place as he asked, "And where do you think you're going now?"

She was looking around, obviously searching for something or someone, as she replied in a distracted voice. "I have to get laid."

He would have burst out laughing if he thought for even just one second that she was serious. But he knew she was already drunk after downing two powerful shots, so he decided to humour her a bit. "Wait, wait set me right on this one. Are you telling me that you're searching for someone to have sex with?" A grin kept tugging at the corners of his mouth._ Oh how he loved her when she acted so silly._ Which was, unfortunately, not nearly often enough to amuse him on a regular basis. But still, he had to cherish these rare moments of insanity. His friend could be so hopelessly square sometimes that if only he found out much earlier that a little alcohol was all that was needed to make her cut loose, then he would have had a wine cellar constructed months ago. "Are you sure that's healthy? I mean, after all the long hours of lecture you've given me about sexually transmitted diseases and such…?

Kaoru gave him a look of unconcealed impatience, the way a frustrated nanny would look at her naughty young ward before sighing. Her eyes finally stopped roaming around and she chose to settle her sights above his head, as if thinking pensively. "Misao said that I'm such a grandma…"

This time, he couldn't suppress his amusement any longer and he asked her amidst his chuckles, "And you need to fuck around to feel young? Is that what you're telling me?"

She pouted her lips and looked away in embarrassment. "She told me that I need to get laid…"

Laughing heartily now, Kamatari couldn't help himself anymore and enclosed Kaoru in the tightest and warmest hug in history, even slightly lifting her off of her feet to swing her around. She squealed and hugged him back, but only because she was afraid that she'd be thrown off as her friend continued to lift her higher. "Hounjo Kamatari put me down this instant!" she hollered over the sounds of him sniggering. "Kamata-!"

In an instant, her feet were back on the floor and she was greeted by the sight of her housemate looking down at her intensely with a flirtatious smile lining his seductive lips. In one quick swoop, he placed his right hand on the hollow of her back and dipped her until the end of her ponytail brushed the dance floor. "Wh-?" she started, only to shriek again when he abruptly pulled her back to an upright position. "What are you doing!" she asked him, eyes bulging, clearly annoyed now.

"Letting out the air from your head, that's what. As well as a few rocks."

"You-"

Her words were cut off again as he plunged her once more. And when he pulled her back to him, there was a greenish tint on her face now. "S-stop it! I'm g-going to be sick!" she implored, holding the back of her palm against her lips. He laughed and kissed her on the forehead.

Before she could protest or do anything else, Kamatari knelt down a bit to put his right arm under her legs and gently hoisted her up to carry her. She gasped at first, but didn't struggle or refuse the warm comfort of his embrace around her once she was assured that he wasn't going to try to dip her again. Drowsy-eyed, she muttered against his shirt that he could be so crazy at times and she wondered out loud why she even bothered putting up with him.

"Who knows," he shrugged, a tender smile painted on his lips. "Maybe because you love me?"

If only she caught that smile, her heart would certainly have skipped with the emotion clearly etched within. But she didn't, and only murmured sleepily, "Yes I do, don't I? Damn my stupidity… Always loving the wrong men…"

Kamatari started to walk towards the entrance until he reached the exit of the club. Outside, he only had to scan the parking lot for a split second before he spotted his blue Ford that stood out so vibrantly amongst the pathetically middle-class cars parked next to it. He slightly shifted Kaoru in his arms before he made his way to his car. When they were right in front of it, he had no choice but to set Kaoru down so he could search his pocket for his car remote. Meanwhile, Kaoru leaned on his shoulder unsteadily as she tried to stand on her two feet, whispering, "Where are we going?"

"Home."

"Why?"

"Isn't this what you wanted? I'm going to grant your wish but I'm certainly not going to do the nasty here. I want my debaucheries done in a bed, and mine would do perfectly."

Kamatari heard her inhale sharply and he had to bite the insides of his mouth to keep himself from laughing outright. He felt her step away from him and just when he was about to turn around and tell her that he was only pulling her leg, he was stopped in his tracks with the look she gave him.

When he looked up, she was right there in front of him, face upturned with the light of the moon and the shadows of the trees overhead playing over her face. She looked like a sprite looking up at a giant. Well, actually he wasn't_ that_ tall. But Kaoru definitely looked a bit of a helpless waif standing close to him. The kind of girl that many men would eagerly jump for the chance to play as her knight in shining armour…_ Really, how she pulled off such an effect was beyond normal understanding._ With her athletic bearing and that Taser she always toted around in her bag, damsel in distress was the last role she would ever have to play out.

She wasn't really helpless, far from it in fact. Kaoru was an athlete, a kendo expert to be precise, and she was always carrying around that hand Taser that her father had given her years ago. So in a nutshell, she was as helpless as a tiger ready to strike- and just as proud if he may add.

Kaoru continued to stare at him intensely before she reached up her hands to cup her palms on his cheeks. She traced every inch and every feature of his face with her eyes, before sighing and telling him, "I really wish you were born ugly instead of being so damn handsome."

"Excuse me?"

"You're gay and yet it's okay for you to sleep with me…?"

"So now you're complaining?" he tilted an eyebrow down at her.

She sighed. "The right thing to do will be to reject your offer," she continued, not minding his sarcasm. "But I feel like I'm going to deny myself a very rare and delicious treat if I say no…"

The hands on Kamatari's face slowly slithered down his throat and found their way around his nape. He swallowed perceptibly when he saw her eyes flutter close and she went on tiptoes to slowly reach his lips… He knew what was coming and the logical thing to do in this situation was to gently push her away and set her straight that he had only been joking earlier. But why did he angle his chin and drew his face closer to hers instead? Why did his own hands slowly crept up her waist to tenderly pull her nearer to his body? And why did he close his eyes too the moment he felt her sweet breath fanning his face?

_So many questions…and not enough time to search for their answers._

But the moment was over before it even begun because someone loudly cleared his throat just a few meters away from them. Distracted, Kamatari's eyes opened slightly to cast a quick side-glance to the direction of the voice, only to be stopped dead in his tracks when he saw who it was.

Without meaning to, he gasped out, "Himura-san!"

It was like a button being pressed when Kaoru quickly let go and stepped back to look at the place where her friend was staring with wide, incredulous eyes. She felt a tremor run through her own body as she whispered, "K-Kenshin…?"

_What was he doing here?_ The same question flooded both of their minds at the same time as they stared at the newcomer. Kenshin bore the same rigid expression the last time she saw him. There was no gentility in his manner as he stepped forward and faced Kamatari. She tensed as something churned inside her stomach and she felt nausea wash over her._ Oh no not here, not here, please not here! Especially not in front of him!_ She pleaded inside her mind as she felt sick.

"Mr. Himura," Kamatari addressed him after he was finally able to gather back his wits, though he knew his cheeks were still flaming with the embarrassment of being caught in such a position. "And to what do we owe this pleasure good sir?"

When her ex-husband threw her a look, there was no mistaking the sick feeling in her stomach anymore. So with a groan, she doubled over and retched all over Kamatari's shoes, while he in turn shrieked in a voice that would certainly carry over until the very ends of the earth.

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**A/N:_ Loads and loads of apology for such a long delay in updating! It's just that reality's obligations and writer's block can be such a hindrance… But since it's the summer vacation now, expect more updates during the next three months. Hopefully too, my muse wouldn't leave me again. Gomen again and I really hope that this is the last time something like this will happen to me…(sigh)_**


	6. the best things in life are free, not!

She instantly shut the door behind her to prevent the wind and rain from following her and muddying up the floor. She shook some of the water out of her hair as she removed her boots and kicked them aside. "I'm home!" Kaoru called out as she placed her coat on the coat rack standing next to the door. When no-one answered, she got a bit worried and hastened her steps. "Kenshin? Honey, are you here?"

She heard a soft rustling sound and turned around to see Kenshin sitting there, half-obscured by the book-shelf that served as divider between the kitchen and the living room, as he hurriedly stacked a heap of paper off the table. "Honey?" Kaoru took a few tentative steps forward. She saw the creases and worry lines that pervaded her husband's face and noted how his face had taken a perpetually haggard expression for the past few months. "Kenshin what's wrong? What are those papers for?"

She saw how he tried to smile; tried to break from the forlorn look he was wearing earlier just to give her a spark of his former self. Alas, he couldn't muster enough energy to make his act believable, and Kaoru saw through his façade quite easily. With compassion, she took her place behind him and squeezed his shoulders encouragingly.

"You don't have to hide anything from me," she whispered tenderly. "Whatever it is, we will bear it together. We promised that on the altar, remember?"

Perhaps the problem really was great because Kenshin, who had always been her pillar of strength and courage, finally crumbled as his shoulders drooped and he buried his face between his hands to hide his shame from her.

Kaoru's heart sank and she felt like dying upon seeing him so broken like this. With fear and anxiety choking her own heart, she knelt down and picked up the papers that Kenshin dropped onto the floor. Her eyes swam over the overdue notices, the bills, the demands, the eviction notice from the landlord, and instantly a sob escaped from her throat.

She cupped her hands over her lips, afraid that her anguish would only bring more pain to her husband_, to her Kenshin…_ Fortunately, he was too wrapped up in his own misery that he missed that single sound of defeat that came from her.

She couldn't afford to lose heart! Not when her own beloved Kenshin was slowly cracking under the pressure. For almost three years now, Kenshin was the one who uplifted her, cheered her up as they suffered through near poverty, with a smile on his face and courage in his eyes. Kenshin finished college, true, but getting a decent-paying job in Japan was hard during those times because of the economic recession that was going on. But through the months of long days in a hungry daze, and cold, bitter nights of restlessness- they persevered._ Their love persevered!_ And Kaoru was determined that they'd live through this crisis with their bond intact.

So even though Kaoru was the one who was used to the finer things in life, she never complained. She didn't want to burden Kenshin more by being unreasonable. Kenshin was grateful for this. But there would be times when her pained silence would draw more blood from Kenshin than if she had just screeched her heart out for all the suffering his deficiency was causing her._ He bled for them_; bled for his inadequacy to provide the happy, contented life that he promised her on the altar…bled for the unshed tears that his wife would not let free in his presence._ Always bleeding._ There was no assuaging the flow of discontent, and he felt like dying because of it.

So Kenshin tried to do the next best thing that he could manage: he was the one who stayed upbeat for the both of them. Whenever they were feeling low, he'd whip out the guitar she had given him years ago and would play the songs he composed; serenading and wooing her the way he did back when they were much younger and more naïve. And she'd kiss him, and they would take comfort in each other's presence. They would hold hands and love each other all night, then wake up the next morning staring at each other's eyes, feeling utterly helpless, but unable to look away.

"Oh honey," Kaoru whispered as she threw the papers aside to envelope her husband in a warm hug. "Dear Cupid, everything is going to be fine. This is just a rough patch, okay. We'll sail through this, no worries. I guess this will just mean a little more overtime work for the both of us, but we'll pull through. We always do."

Those used to be his words for her. But now she found herself using them to lift up the spirits of the one who had always uplifted hers.

She kissed his temple but he didn't respond. All of a sudden, a feeling of foreboding gripped her and she waited for what he was about to say…

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Kaoru was unable to sleep that night. She kept staring at her husband's sleeping face, noted how much he had aged in just a short span of time, and once more her tears flowed. She slowly and oh-so-lightly grazed Kenshin's closed eyes with her fingertips as she painfully recalled the terrible news he had told her earlier.

"_I've been let go…"_

"_-The company is fast on its way to bankruptcy."_

"_-Tried to search for a new job the whole day."_

"_-This blasted economy is not good for small businesses."_

"I'm so sorry…"

She bit her lips and shut her eyes tightly. Kenshin, who must've felt her silent torment, woke up and sadly stared at his wife's tear-streaked face. Anguished by the sight of her pain, Kenshin hastily brought his own hands to her face to dry her tears, but Kaoru fended him off.

"D-don't worry about me." A ragged sob escaped her lips as she turned around so he wouldn't see her wet cheeks. "I'm sorry if I roused you. I just…I just-"

She didn't know what to tell him, and in the end she didn't really need to. She felt him move closer; felt the warmth of his body as he hugged her tightly, his hands brushing her flat tummy as he did so. A sob threatened to erupt from her being once more, but she pushed her hands against her lips so that Kenshin wouldn't hear.

_Three years._ They were married for almost three years now and yet their life remained empty, their love unfulfilled and their family incomplete. She couldn't have a child -_they wouldn't have a child_- knowing full well that they weren't financially stable for that. At this reminder, Kaoru cried more.

Kenshin held her tighter as he sensed her increasing agony. No words passed between them as they both listened to the haunting sound of the clock ticking away; reminding them of every minute that they spent together in discontent. Kaoru turned around and hugged him back and they closed their eyes to sleep. But it was a sleep that only dulled their pain for a while. They made slumber their temporary morphine;_ sleeping as if dead, and waking up the next day just as lifeless._

…The morning dawned and Kenshin awoke before Kaoru did. He had a dream the previous night, a dream that haunted him even as he gazed at his wife. A dream that gave the answer to their problems…_but for a terrible price…_

So he woke up and stared at her face; stared deeply and wretchedly and felt himself die inside. He wanted to touch her, and kiss her, and love her- anything to make the pain and misery go away._ But he knew it wouldn't go away._ He knew their suffering wouldn't disappear until he took responsibility.

And he would take responsibility, no matter how much it would hurt her…or him...

_Because he loved her…_

_Because he loved her so much that he'd rather die a thousand deaths than for her to suffer a single second more with him…_

Kenshin restrained his hand just before it touched her flesh. He wouldn't torture himself more than what was necessary. He had made his decision, and there would be no turning back now…

Resolutely, he got up and left the bedroom.

Kaoru woke up hours later. She walked out of the bedroom to find a cold meal on the table and a note left by Kenshin saying, 'Out looking for work'.

It was raining that day…

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"Um that's great…I guess."

She tried to sound casual as she said those words. Across the table, Kenshin interlaced his fingers in front of him and appeared to be thinking the matter over. Finally, he raised his eyes to meet hers and smiled. "That's good. I'll hook you up with Enishi as soon as possible. Hope you don't mind waiting a bit, he's quite a busy man you see…"

Kaoru nodded mechanically and felt a shadow of a smile starting to tug at her lips. It had been the day after Kenshin found her at the parking lot of a certain nightclub back at her hometown. She had been drunk and had come close to kissing her gay best friend when Kenshin spotted her. It turned out that he had been looking all over for her that day because of a very important matter.

At first she was so utterly mortified to be seen in such a state that she refused to see him altogether. Kenshin then explained to her that she didn't answer his last letter. And so the situation -it being of such urgency- called for him to come in person to talk things over with her.

When Kaoru asked Kenshin what letter he was talking about, enter Kamatari with a sheepish look on his face as he confessed to withholding and burning the said letter some days ago.

_So now here she was,_ having this meeting with her ex-husband in one of Tokyo's most luxurious and most expensive hotels, as they talked about their divorce settlement. Now she understood why Kenshin was so adamant about taking care of it as soon as possible. He was, after all, due to marry anytime this year. The wedding invite he sent Kaoru almost two weeks ago was only a sample that had no date in it. According to Kenshin, it was Tomoe's idea not to set a fixed date yet, giving allowance to the time needed for the separation process, so that there would be no legal hassles later on when they finally tie the knot.

As their conversation progressed about the legal matters to be attended to, Kenshin suggested that they call their respective lawyers to get clearer details. At this, Kaoru suddenly coughed vehemently and admitted, rather hesitantly, that she didn't have one.

Kenshin patted her hand in understanding. "I can set you up with someone I know. He's a good friend of mine who I met two years ago. He ranked number three when he took the BAR exam last year, you know."

Kaoru coughed again, feeling terribly uncomfortable at this stage. She doubted that this_ friend_ of his would be someone within her price range. So with her cheeks burning and her voice lowered, she confessed that she might not be able to afford the services of such an excellent attorney.

The irony of the situation struck her suddenly and she almost laughed out loud if only she wasn't embarrassed enough already._ Their roles had been reversed now:_ with her having to work hard just to put a roof over her head and a diploma under her name, while her ex-husband was the one who could now casually set up expensive meetings like this, and talk about marriage settlements amounting to six figures, without so much as batting an eyelash.

"Don't worry Kaoru," Kenshin offered a kind smile to ward off her unease. "I assure you Enishi won't ask you a single penny. My future brother-in-law is quite willing to work pro-bono…if it is for the family, that is. And since I'm soon going to be a part of his, so…"

"Oh." She didn't really like the idea that the one who'd represent her was someone related to Kenshin's future wife._ But what else could she do?_ She was in no financial standing to refuse such a generous offer. "Um that's great…I guess."

"That's good-"

After he had his say, an uncomfortable silence descended upon them. They have ironed everything out for the planned proceedings and was left with nothing more to discuss. Because of this, Kaoru started to fidget uneasily in her seat, itching to leave. "Errr…so… I guess I should, um, get going and-"

"How have you been all these years Kaoru?"

She stopped just as she was about to lift herself from her seat. She looked at him, studying his expression, as she thought of what to answer him.

"Fine," she finally hedged a bit. "I'm good. And you?"

She wasn't interested in having this talk with him. It was all fine and well when they were talking about a matter as serious and as formal as their divorce. But now that he opened the way for a friendly tête-à-tête, it just seemed too rude and too obvious not to answer him and ask him the same greeting in kind. Proper breeding and blue-blood upper-crust teachings ingrained deep in her psyche just wouldn't allow her to be the callous type, even if being polite would mean choking down a situation she'd rather run away from.

"Wait, forget that I asked," Kaoru chuckled. "I can see the answer for myself."

"It hasn't been all that easygoing you know."

She quirked her lips in disbelief. "There's no need to be humble. It's just me."

He rolled his eyes at her. "You're being sarcastic again."

"Old habits die hard."

Kenshin had to smile after that. "Some things just don't change, huh?"

Kaoru refused to acknowledge the way her heart missed a beat after Kenshin gave her that tender look. She didn't know how to answer his statement, so instead she finally opted for the coward's way out and started to leave. "I really have to go Kenshin. Kamatari might be looking for me already and knowing him-"

Yes, Kamatari was with them. And yes, Kaoru dragged her gay best friend with her on this trip because, undeniably_, she was afraid…_ She didn't know what to expect or what to feel once she returned to Tokyo- the city full of sweet but often bitter memories…_her_ memories. There were just too many of them for her to ignore. Every street, every vehicle, every person _–no matter how foreign-_ was too familiar and too overwhelming for her that twice she almost came close to breaking down right in the middle of a busy intersection. She knew she was being overdramatic, but what else could she do? These things were beyond her control and she secretly hated herself for being this affected even after so much time had passed…

_This was her life. This was a part of her that she could not shake off…_

These were the reasons why she brought Kamatari with her._ She needed someone-_ someone who was not connected to her past. Someone who could easily pull her to safety once she started drowning in the memories once more…

"Well let me at least walk you to your room," Kenshin offered. He was the one who suggested that they stay in that same hotel. Kaoru tried to refuse earlier, but Kamatari managed to cut her off with a high-pitched squeal of excitement. And when Kenshin assured them that he was footing the bill, Kamatari's squeal reached an entirely new and impossible crescendo that Kaoru was finally forced to accept just to shut him up.

She was already trying to wave him off. "Oh you know what? You don't really have to bother, I mean you probably have important things to do and-"

He raised an eyebrow as he got up from his chair and stood beside her.

"Okay," she breathed out. "I'd love the company…"

"So what have you been doing these past few years?" he started the conversation genially as they headed towards the gold-chromed elevators in the lobby. The elevator attendant tipped his hat in greeting and pushed the button to their floor destination after Kaoru told him where to. They stood side by side, not looking at each other, as the elevator started to rise.

"I thought you had me investigated?" she replied, not meeting his eyes.

"I had your address searched," he corrected dryly. "I didn't invade your private life."

"Oh."_ Why was it taking so long to get to her floor?_ "Studying, part-time job. Nothing exciting really."

"Your part-time job… You're working in that place where I saw you singing, right?

She nodded.

"I'm glad you never gave up on your dream to become a singer."

The elevator doors opened to let in a few people. "It puts bread on the table," she finally answered, although somewhat indifferently. "It's not a career."

"Oh." He paused. After a short while, he asked nonchalantly, "You dating someone?"

"What?"

Kaoru's head slowly turned in his direction, a puzzled look etched all over her face.

Kenshin shrugged, not meeting her stare as he continued to look at his reflection on the shiny, gold-plated walls. "Just curious."

Well here was a dilemma_. Should she lie?_ It just seemed kind of pathetic to look so, so…_single_…and alone, when he, on the other hand, had moved on. Anyway, he did say he didn't nose around about her life…so he wouldn't know if she'd lie a bit, right? "There's this guy at the university. Nothing as serious as getting married within this year or anything. But he's okay and I think there's a possibility…" She had to bite down her own tongue to keep herself from gagging.

This time, he did turn to look at her. "Really? But Kamatari said you were single the last time we talked."

_Damn, damn, and double damn!_ Kaoru almost stuttered when she replied, "I met him fairly recently. Don't you think a lot could have happened within the last two weeks since the two of you talked?"

Thankfully, the doors opened to her floor and before Kenshin could look at her closely to gauge the truth in her words, she was already out and walking briskly towards the room she shared with Kamatari. Mentally, she prayed that her gay friend was inside so that she could use him as an excuse not to talk to Kenshin for another minute longer.

Kaoru started knocking as soon as she got to the door of room 1208. Her knocks became more insistent when Kenshin finally stood next to her.

"Kamatari!" she called out loudly when no one answered her knocks. "Oh geez…"

"Maybe he's not inside."

"No, no, no he's probably still sleeping." She prayed fervently that this was so. "Trust me, I know him. We had a pretty long ride after all and he tends to get really sleepy on long car drives."

"Use your key."

"I left it inside because I told him I won't be gone for long."

Kaoru wondered if Kenshin guessed the motive behind those words. She didn't have to wait long for her answer.

"You're not afraid of me Kaoru, are you?"

She gave up on knocking and started jingling the doorknob. "What are you talking about?" She refused to look at him as her heart started beating fast. "This is so stupid…!"

Kaoru didn't see it, but his lips tore to give way to a smirk. He started to chuckle as he watched her exert herself over the door. Finally, he couldn't help himself from stating the obvious, "You ARE afraid!"

Well she couldn't very well keep on ignoring him if he was going to continue with that line of thought. So straightening up, she shot him her most sarcastic look and replied, "Afraid? Why would I be afraid you?"

"You tell me." Kenshin stepped closer towards her. "Aren't you?"

She folded her arms to her chest defiantly. "I'm not."

"Then why are you so jittery?"

"I'm not jittery."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"You're shaking."

"You're immature."

"Nervous?"

"Nope."

"Dinner at eight, meet you at the hotel lobby?"

"Sure!"

"Okay."

"Fine."

They shared a dry smile together before Kenshin stepped away. He gave her one, last mischievous grin before turning around and heading down the hall towards the elevator. Once Kaoru saw the sliding doors close behind him, she let her body rest on the wall with a hand on her forehead as she groaned out, "What have I done?"

Right after her statement, the door of her room finally opened to reveal a sleepy-eyed Kamatari. "What's with all the racket here and-" He stopped when he saw her defeated look. Curious, he asked her, "Oh hey Kaoru. Did I miss something good?"

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"Ow!"

Kaoru rubbed the spot on her arm where Kamatari pinched her and scowled at him through the vanity mirror. "That hurts!"

"And there will be more coming if you don't stop moving," her friend threatened back with a hairbrush poised dangerously in mid-air. "I won't have you ruining the hair I've slaved over for the entire afternoon! Now sit still."

"I don't want this hair," she grumbled as her gay friend continued to primp and style her up from behind. She stared at her reflection through the lighted mirror, saw the make-up Kamatari had carefully applied for the last thirty minutes, saw her raven-black hair in lustrous waves behind her, and groaned again. "I look-"

"-Beautiful? Ravishing? Angelic?" Kamatari finished for her with a flourish as he waved his magic wand –slash- hairbrush in the air, like a fairy grandmother who just transformed a plain-Jane girl into Cinderella. "I know, I know. Aren't I a genius?"

She glowed with his words, but refused to show it. "I don't want him to think that I went through all the trouble of being made-up just for this simple meeting and- Ow! Stop pulling!"

Kamatari was fixing her tangled hair and, after accomplishing the task, sniffed haughtily down at here. "Oh will you stop whining already? So what if he'll think you bothered yourself looking pretty? I think he'll be too busy being dazzled out of his wits by the sight of you to think or care anyway."

"You 'think' a lot." She laughed. "-And I don't look THAT nice!"

"But I am THAT good. So shut up and turn around."

Kaoru got up from her chair and faced him. Her cheeks reddened when she saw the look of barefaced approval on Kamatari's expression as he raked her body up and down with his eyes. But she flushed even hotter when she saw his eyes rest on the modest cleavage being revealed by the spaghetti-strapped, midnight-blue dress that she was wearing. Upon seeing this, Kamatari clucked his tongue and disappeared towards another part of the suite. When he returned, he had a box of Kleenex in his hand with a goofy grin on his face.

"What are you going to do with that?" she asked him suspiciously. She started to back away.

"Oh c'mon Kaoru, honestly!" He blew up some air in exasperation. "A little cheating never hurts anyone. Except of course-" he started to grin, "-You're planning to have a little more late-night activity after this so-called appointment."

Kaoru crossed her arms to her chest. "Hounjou Kamatari! I'm meeting a committed man, or have you forgotten?"

"Surfboard!"

Kaoru squealed when Kamatari suddenly leaped over the chair that was standing between them to get to her. What ensued afterwards was a game of tag as he chased her everywhere across the room. Shrieking and laughing all at the same time, Kaoru gasped out, "Kama-chan, stop! My hair's getting messed up!"

"So what? I thought you didn't want to look too prettified, anyway?"

"That's not even a word!"

"That's what you know!"

Kaoru half-screeched, half-laughed when, with a jump, Kamatari managed to tackle her to her feet. They lay sprawled on the carpeted floor, wrestling for the upper hand, as he continued to tell her the wonders of a little artificial augmentation one could do for one's self-esteem. One minute he was on top, the next it would be her. Finally, Kamatari gained the control and managed to pin her firmly to the floor. They were both laughing and breathing heavily with the exertion by the time they looked at each other.

"Oh god," Kaoru wheezed as she struggled to free her wrists from being pinioned by his hands. Not surprisingly, she failed. "You're a monster, Kama-chan. You're just too much!"

"Well you're not exactly a butterfly yourself either." And at this, he winced slightly. "You punched me in the gut, you little witch. If I hadn't moved, you would've probably zeroed in on my family jewels."

A naughty smile started to tear at her lips. "I sometimes forget you're still a man."

His flirtatious side suddenly surfaced, and he smirked. "Maybe we should spend the whole afternoon reminding you of this fact then?"

"W-what do you mean?"

"We have been interrupted before." He dipped his head to her side until his lips brushed her earlobe. He nibbled on her ear and whispered huskily, "We should probably pick up where we left off…"

The memory of what they almost shared last night, right before Kenshin came, instantly made her tingle and burn. Kamatari confessed earlier to have only been teasing her that time. But the recollection of the sensations that she felt that night, coupled with the delicious shivers that her best friend was causing her now, made her squeeze her eyes shut and bite her lips.

"Oh you're terrible!" And just like that, all the tension ebbed away when his lips started to tickle the side of her neck. "You're a pervert! Get off!"

They were laughing as they both straightened up and got up from the floor. But Kamatari's laughter turned to a shriek when he saw the havoc their carelessness had caused on Kaoru's hair. Frantically, he tried to get to her to fix it up, but Kaoru was already moving away from him and towards the door.

"Kaoru Kamiya! Your hair-"

"It will have to do Kamatari, don't worry." She laughed as she sloppily patted her hair in a feeble attempt to tame it down. "I'll be late if I let you do it over."

"But-!"

"Bye luv!"

Kaoru whistled happily as she closed the door behind her. Smiling, she hurried towards the elevator that was about to close. Holding out her hand to stop the sliding doors, she exhaled, "Wait!" before slipping inside and casting the only two people inside the elevator a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that…going down?"

The uniformed elevator attendant manning the control panel simply gave a polite nod in return. But the tall, white-haired man sporting a pair of blue-tinted glasses and a midnight-blue suit raised an eyebrow. Kaoru chose to ignore him though and stood opposite to the hotel attendant.

As the elevator started its descent, the ashen-haired man suddenly started to speak. "I didn't know that the hotel is holding a Halloween party…?" the question was obviously for the elevator boy.

"Sir?" the serviceman turned to him, confused. "It's April."

The doors opened on the seventh floor and the tall man started to step out. But as he passed by Kaoru, their eyes met through the mirror-like exterior of the elevator and he muttered, "The mistake is not mine then…"

It took Kaoru three seconds before the insult finally sank in. But even if she had realized this much sooner, it wouldn't have helped her any. By the time she started to sputter with indignation, the stranger was already gone and the doors had slid close to obstruct her view.

Kaoru then turned to her reflection against the elevator walls and wondered if, indeed, she looked THAT bad. Just a few minutes ago, she thought her hair looked just okay, not glorious, just decent. And she thought her slightly mussed up make-up wasn't a detrimental factor. But now, after a complete stranger indirectly insulted her, she started to see her face in a whole new light. Her hair was a fright to behold and her features suddenly seemed too horrible for decency's comfort! Aghast, she turned to the elevator boy and barked, "Back to the 12th floor!" When the man hesitated, her voice went up a few notches, "Now!"

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Kaoru had been practicing her excuse line in her head when she finally arrived to the hotel lobby. Redoing her hair and make-up, and choosing a new wardrobe (amidst Kamatari's surprised protests), took longer than necessary due to the fact that she kept picking and removing clothes one after the other when she couldn't find one that suited her. As she searched, it frustrated her to no end that one callous stranger's snide comment suddenly reduced her to a ditzy, insecure fool that she'd never been as she threw out one dress after another in her closet. But she wasn't half as horrified as Kamatari had been when her gay friend saw the way Kaoru butchered her newly-styled hair with the series of dressing and undressing that followed.

Because of all this, she ended up being forty-three minutes late. Her conscience and her proper breeding pricked her, but what else could she do? So instead, she consoled herself with the thought that it was only Kenshin she was meeting after all. He wasn't a stranger to her. But just the same, she had never made him wait this long before- not even back when they were dating and had been more intimate.

She wouldn't blame him if he had decided to blow her off. But as it turned out, she needn't worry about that because she instantly spotted him near the reception area, glancing at his wristwatch every now and then, and looking more than just slightly impatient.

Kaoru paused before approaching his line of vision. She held her breath as she gazed at him. Her husband, no, her former husband looked so heartbreakingly handsome wearing a grey, zipped-up turtleneck sweater under a black coat and grey pants that she instantly swelled with pride. A frown was tearing at his lips, and his violet eyes flashed arrogantly, but he was a sight to behold nonetheless.

Kaoru suddenly became self-conscious. Earlier, she finally decided on a strapless red silk dress with a flared hemline just above her knees (it was Kamatari's idea to bring one whole luggage-full of evening wear; as if he knew beforehand that their coming to Tokyo will require Kaoru those outfits). Her hair, unlike before, was now pinned-up with only a few tantalizing tendrils snaking down her cheeks and chin to accentuate her slender neck. Kamatari had said she looked positively, irrevocably, and without a doubt- gorgeous, and at first she thought so too. But now, gazing at Kenshin from across the lobby as he looked perfectly like the man who could own the world with just a smile, Kaoru wasn't so sure anymore…

Almost out of nowhere, a blessedly-'endowed' blond woman approached Kenshin and gave him flirtatious smile. Kaoru snapped out of her reverie when she saw this, and quickly, she started to walk towards them.

The blond was in the middle of asking Kenshin to join her for drinks when Kaoru slid in between them and, without thinking, kissed her ex-husband on the cheek. Breathlessly, she murmured, "Sorry I'm late."

Okay… So the fact that Kenshin's brain, to put it simply, short-circuited the moment he laid eyes on her could be considered natural. After all, what hot-blooded male wouldn't have had his wits snatched away from him by the mere sight of his stunning ex-wife. So what if the blond, busty foreigner left after he ignored her? She wasn't very interesting anyway. And so what if he didn't get around to showing Kaoru his immense 'displeasure' on her being late. No one really cared anyway_- least of all him._ Not when he was looking at the Kaoru Kamiya that he had never seen before. The coy and pretty teenager that he once fell in love with was nowhere to be seen, and was instead replaced by this ravishing and achingly-beautiful woman…

Amazing what time and experience could do to a person…

"I," Kenshin faltered. He mentally kicked himself as he tried to regain his composure. "You…you look-"

She gave him a hopeful and somewhat expectant look. He grappled mentally for the right things to say. But the word that slipped out of his lips disappointed even him.

"-Nice…"

_Nice?!?_ A hug by a casual friend is nice. An ice-cream cone after dinner is nice. A warm bath after a long day is nice_. But never do you call a woman _-especially THIS woman standing in front of him who looked so amazing right now that she could undoubtedly render even the most worldly and most mature men into frustrated adolescents with uncontrollable wet dreams_- nice!!!_

"Oh," she wanted to castigate herself for sounding disappointed. She didn't expect (nor wanted) him to bubble with praises or odes._ She was neither a foolish dreamer nor a conceited fool._ But bloody hell!_ Nice?!?_

"Uhrm," Kenshin coughed to clear the silence that descended upon them. "You're late…"

Kaoru was prepared to apologize profusely to him minutes before. But after that 'nice' comment, she suddenly thought that he didn't deserve anything more than a casual: "Time got away with me."

"You could've at least informed me." He didn't like her unrepentant expression one single bit. "If you had called the receptionist, she would've told me."

"Oh…"

A frown started to form when he saw she wasn't even going to pretend that she was sorry. "It's a good thing Enishi didn't just up and left. He's still waiting inside the hotel restaurant."

_Well that got her attention!_ It was one thing to be late for an appointment with someone you're familiar with. But to make a total stranger wait_ -especially when that stranger was a lawyer willing to work pro-bono for you-_ then that could be bad for you…very bad indeed! "Oh Kenshin!" she gave him a stricken look. "I didn't mean to-"

"Let's just get inside before he –actually- decides to leave."

They kept their distance from each other as they walked inside the restaurant. Kenshin turned to talk to the maitre d' while Kaoru worriedly scanned the elegant room stretched out before her. She was never this unprofessional before. And with a lawyer no less! If this man decided to bail on her because of her tardiness, she only had one person to blame.

_-that arrogant, contemptuous, silver-haired man from the elevator!_

A few seconds later, Kenshin held her elbow and steered her towards an exclusive corner as he whispered in her ear, "Hurry. We're late enough as it is."

They approached the table furthest from the entrance. A lone man sat there, his back turned to them, reading the newspaper. Kaoru slowed her steps when she saw that the man possessed a familiar shock of snow-white hair._ He couldn't be…?!_

Kenshin went ahead and leaned down to whisper in the man's ears. After that, the silver-haired man started to rise and Kaoru felt her stomach drop when she saw that he was exactly as tall as-

"Kaoru let me introduce to you my good friend and future brother-in-law, Enishi Yukishiro." Then he turned to the other. "Enishi this is my estranged wife, Kaoru Kamiya-Himura. She's the one I've been asking you to represent."

When their eyes met, she saw that he was quite as taken aback as she had been upon their recognition of each other, although only for a moment. His lips moved, but his voice was barely audible. "I see…"

And then, he stepped forward and bowed slightly. Kaoru was still so shocked by the card that fate dealt her with that she wasn't able to react when Enishi took her right hand and slowly raised it to his lips.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance…Mrs. Himura…" His eyes were deep and turbulent with an expression she couldn't read. His touch was warm, firm, and his lips felt like silk. She blushed when his stare intensified. "Or should I call you Ms. Kamiya instead?"

"Whatever your sister would prefer, Mr. Yukishiro," she managed to hit back a sarcastic retort amidst her unease. She did her best to take her hand back without looking too eager or too abrupt. "And the pleasure is mine as well."

He straightened up and a mocking grin started to play at his lips, challenging the honesty of her words. Mercifully, Kaoru mused, he said nothing more and left it at that. Otherwise, well…perhaps it would be better not think of it.

Thankfully, as all three took their seats and gave their orders, the evening progressed peacefully enough without Kenshin catching wind of the hostility ensuing between the two. After their meals and the legal talk, Kaoru was relieved to realize that they could finally wrap-up this meeting and then she could go back to the safety of her room; safe and away from the dangerous stirrings in her heart caused by these two men sitting next to her.

"Gentlemen," she started as she pushed her chair back to rise. Kenshin tried to stand up and pull her chair back for her but she politely waved him off. "If there is nothing more to discuss, then I will go ahead. I'm a bit tired so if you will excuse me-?"

Both men stood up after she did. Enishi instructed the waiter for their bill to be forwarded to his room, while Kenshin gave her a concerned look. "You do look pale. Are you all right?"

She didn't know what to tell him, and in the end she didn't need to, because at that moment his mobile phone rang and he instantly answered it. While Kenshin's attention was averted, this gave Kaoru and Enishi an opportunity to freely show their discontent for each other. Enishi raised a condescending eyebrow in her direction and she frowned in return._ How was she going to work with this man? He was so bloody infuriating! _

Their genial expressions returned instantly the moment they heard Kenshin close his mobile phone. He looked a little worried. "Guys, I'm so sorry to run like this but that was my secretary just now and I'm needed at the office immediately for a-"

"Go," Kaoru interrupted him. He cast her a confused look at first, so she smiled. "Go already. It's alright."

Slowly, his lips broke into a grateful grin and he turned to Enishi for affirmation. The silver-haired man nodded in return. So with their goodbye's said, Kenshin was gone in a blink.

As Kenshin hurriedly walked out of the restaurant, Kaoru watched him with a thinly-veiled despair. Taking a deep breath, she slowly turned to her companion and started to speak. "I guess I should get going too."

He looked at her and said nothing. She didn't expect him to, anyway. Without another word, she turned around and left him.

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As Kaoru waited in the lobby for the elevator, she couldn't help but feel sorry that she got all dressed up for nothing. Or rather, she got all dressed up like this to assure her self-esteem, only to have it poorly received by two morons_. Kenshin was a hopeless idiot_, she resigned wearily_, while Enishi was nothing short of a bloody ass._ And there was just no helping those two.

The elevator doors finally opened and just as she entered, a man came up running and managed to get inside before the attendant pushed the close button. Kaoru looked up, startled by the activity and the sense of déja vu, only to be surprised even further when she realized that it was none other but her conceited lawyer who just came in.

"You in a hurry or something?" she commented dryly. He looked slightly flushed from the effort, and he shot her a look that clearly expressed how much he appreciated her observation- which was not at all.

"Ms. Kaoru-" he started.

"Mr. Yukishiro?"

For a while he looked hesitant. Finally, he muttered, "It was rather rude of me to let you go unescorted. So-" he straightened his back and returned to his usual arrogant stance. "-I'm rectifying that mistake."

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow; mentally debating the honesty of his words. "Oh-kay…" she drawled. She motioned to say something particularly nasty, but in the end, decided not to waste her breath any more than necessary. "Whatever."

Kaoru crossed her arms to her chest and turned away from him_. He was insufferable!_ After he insulted her a few hours ago, here he was playing the righteous and good-hearted gentleman. He was turning out to be an even bigger ass than she thought.

"Hey Kaoru you look- oh, can I call you Kaoru by the way?"

She turned to throw him a bored look and said nothing as she waited for him to continue.

"-You look beautiful in that dress."

_Now who would've expected that?_ Her eyebrows met at the middle and she sputtered, "What?"

Unfortunately, they have already arrived at her floor so Kaoru had to wait for Enishi as he tipped the elevator attendant first before she could get her answer. When their eyes met again, her heart started to pound and she suddenly felt awkward as he made no bones of looking at her whole body thoroughly.

"Why are you so surprised?" Enishi quirked an eyebrow down at her. "Good God! You're not one of those silly, self-depreciating women who magnify little faults into glaring blemishes and then go out into the world proclaiming their hideousness, are you?"

"Of course not!" she finally snapped, losing her cool. "Mr. Yukishiro, I'm merely surprised because I didn't expect such a remark to come from you, that's all!"

"And why's that?"_ The jerk!_ He was grinning and was obviously starting to enjoy her display of indignation. "Because of the 'Halloween' comment earlier, is that it?"

"You don't insult a woman in one minute, no matter how indirectly, then suddenly sing her praises in the next, you bloody ass!"

"I wasn't singing. And complimenting you on your looks now_ -compared to your earlier disastrous appearance-_ is hardly a crime."

_She couldn't believe his arrogance!_ Kaoru made a choking-surprised sound at the back of her throat and asked him, "You have a surprisingly high opinion of yourself, don't you?"

"Being top at the BAR certainly gives someone bragging rights."

"I'm sure those rights you are talking off aren't in any constitution or law books so-" Kaoru returned her arms to her side and hissed out, "-spare me."

She walked past him and towards her suite. But before she could reach the door to her room, Enishi spoke up once more. "Why did you marry him?"

Kaoru cast a look of despair at the ceiling before turning around to answer him. "Will I be asked that question in court?"

"Most probably not." He dug his hands inside his slacks pockets.

"Then why ask?"

He walked over towards her and stopped just before she'd get a neck cramp. Angling his head, he said to her casually, "Daughter of Senator Kamiya and business magnate Mr. Kamiya elopes with the nephew of ex-convict Hiko Seijurou." He paused, removed his tinted glasses and placed them inside his coat. "Did I get the headline correct?"

"I see you've been poring over ancient gossip magazines."

"It was a national sensation."

"Oh well. I forget sometimes that Tokyo is no L.A."

His gaze didn't falter amidst the sarcasm. Audaciously, he repeated his question. "Why?"

She turned away, unable to face him._ Why?_ Was the man daft?_ Why should he be asking such a stupid question when the answer was so simple and oh-so-obvious?_

"I was a young girl, Mr. Yukishiro…and Kenshin was my first love," she finally answered him after a period of pregnant silence. "My parents, my peers and even my friends were all opposed to our relationship. It was bound to happen sooner or later."

"So it was an act of defiance as much as an act of…" he lingered with his next word before he let it out, "-foolishness?"

She laughed hollowly after that. "You've never fallen in love before, haven't you Mr. Yukishiro?"

"Love and idiocy are synonymous, Ms. Kamiya."

"Oh, so now I'm Ms. Kamiya?" She just had to grin after hearing him say her maiden name. Putting her hands to her hips, she asked him in amusement, "And exactly when did you decide this?"

It took Enishi a while to answer as he stared at her unwaveringly. His eyes took note of every nuance, every feature, and every inch of her angelic face. He was aware of the small gap between their bodies, and the closed door behind her leading to privacy. He was aware of the sensation slowly heating his blood the longer he stared at her pretty face. And he was also aware that if he didn't do something soon, he was going to do the unthinkable and damn the lawyer-client taboo all to hell.

Straightening up, he answered her smoothly, "If you want to be called by something else then it is no problem of mine. I just assumed your maiden name for aesthetic reasons."

"Aesthetic?"

"Mrs. Himura doesn't suit you."

He didn't mean it as an insult, truly he didn't. Unfortunately, that was how Kaoru interpreted it. And quick as lightning, her smile turned to a scowl and she acidly bit back, "And I suppose your sister is the only one worthy of the name?"

Enishi didn't bother to answer her; his lips lifting a bit to form a somewhat sly grin. Turning on his heels, he started towards the elevator. He wasn't going to explain himself. Situation called for a little professionalism and all that hypocrisy. In time, she'd know what he meant by those words. And as soon as she'd get that final separation from Kenshin, he'd show her exactly what he meant…

"Enishi Yukishiro, you're a pompous jerk!" Kaoru called out to him peevishly just as he stepped inside the elevator. He turned his head to give her a sideways look, and he replied in a low voice, "You'll change your mind…"

As the doors closed behind him, Enishi took his glasses from his pocket and raised it to perch on top of his nose. But just before he could fully adjust it, he caught a glimpse of his reflection against the gold-chrome walls and was surprised to find a smile etched on his lips.

"Kaoru Kamiya," his lips soundlessly mouthed out as he stared at himself. He watched his smile grow bigger after mentioning her name. "You'll change your mind soon enough," he murmured.

In his mind, he was already mapping out the game plan so that her case would be the fastest divorce proceeding in history…"

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**A/N:** Hooray for long delays (well maybe not), long chapters and Christmas vacations. Got me a brand new Wacom tablet so I'll be doing more drawing than writing this holiday season. Hugglez to all my readers and happy holidays to everyone! You guys aren't mad at me for taking so long, now are you? (quickly ducks incoming rotten eggs) Well, guess that answers my question… (sighs)


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